Saving Yourself
by LifelongObsessor
Summary: AU Immediately following "A Good Man Goes To War": The Doctor has left to rescue baby Melody, leaving a perfect opportunity for the others to prevent the Doctor's death-by-astronaut. They'll need some help, however, from someone who knows the Doctor best.
1. Chapter 1

**Hello everyone! I'm Lifelong Obsessor, and this is my first Doctor Who fanfic!**

**The inspiration for this story came to me after watching "A Good Man Goes To War". All I could think was, "For the first time in a while, Amy, Rory and River are without the presence of the Doctor ... What happens now? What do they do?" This is how my mind answer that question. I hope you enjoy!**

**The first few chapters focus mostly on River, Amy and Rory, but that is going to change as the story proceeds.**

**ALSO - I don't own Doctor Who, the Doctor or any of the other characters mentioned in this story. If I DID, I'd either be rolling in dough, traveling the whole of time and space or straightening River's curls somewhere for fun. Just sayin'.**

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><p><strong>CHAPTER ONE<strong>

_"It's me. *I'm* Melody … I'm your daughter."_

Amy had thought she'd reached that point in life where nothing could surprise her; she had traveled through time, met President Nixon and seen hundreds of different alien species; she spent her days in a space ship shaped like a blue police box, had helped save the world more times than she could count and had, somehow, been held captive in a strange military base for months on end without knowing. Surprise, at this point, seemed futile, useless and, frankly, beneath her.

All that aside, here she stood now, frozen with shock and unable to form a coherent sentence. Dazed, to turned to Rory for help; sadly, he seemed to be in the same boat. He kept opening and closing his mouth, as if searching for words but finding none. Amy felt the same but she did momentarily take pride in how she was able to keep her mouth from flapping in a fish-like manner like her husband's.

She turned back to River … or should she call her Melody now? Oi. This was going to be a challenge. _What happens now_, she wondered? Was River going to start calling her "Mum"? Should she start planning some large mother/daughter excursion to make up for lost years? Were any years actually LOST? How old WAS River now, anyway? Was she older than Amy? What are you supposed to do with a daughter who's lived longer than you have? Amy's eyes combed River's face, looking for an answer.

Her daughter simply gazed back at her, smiling that small grin Amy had grown accustomed to seeing. After a moment of this, her eyes met Amy's. River's smile spread further across her face. She opened her mouth and Amy braced herself for whatever words of comfort or explanation her daughter was about to give her.

What she heard instead was River saying "Alright, enough dawdling everyone. We have a job to do!" before spinning on her heel and tramping to the other side of the room.

Her parents stared after her in shock. It was Rory whose ability to speak returned first. "Job?" he questioned, his voice shaking slightly – this was the first thing he had said to River since finding out they shared DNA. This realization frightened him and he once again slipped into a state of shock.

Rory's speaking helped Amy find her voice, however. "You just drop that bombshell on us and now we already have work ahead of us? I don't think so."

River, who had been fiddling with her wrist-cuff teleport, cast a quick glance over her shoulder. "Oh, I really think it is." She gestured toward where the TARDIS had previously sat. "The Doctor won't be gone long, and we have a LOT of things to accomplish before he gets back – important things, at that. Best we get right to it." She returned to her work.

Amy was not impressed with this reaction. She stormed across the room and yanked the device out of River's hands, despite her protests. "I think whatever it is can wait, _honey_," she said in a dangerous tone. "It's been a hell of a day and I think your father and I have earned some answers. Don't you?" It was then Amy saw what River had clutched in her hand. "Wait a minute. Is that the Doctor's sonic screwdriver?"

River grinned. "I *may* have taken from his pocket as he hopped aboard the TARDIS." The wrist cuff instantly became the centre of her attention again as she began to sonic the device from assorted angles.

Rory chose this moment to cross the room and take Amy's hand. For the first time in the past few minutes, he smiled and pointed at the sonic device. "Stealing now, are we? Now River, did we raise you like this?"

River looked up and smiled deviously. "Spoilers." This coaxed a laugh out of Rory, who actually seemed to be adapting to the situation now.

Amy, however, was dead set on having her questions answered. "Can we focus on the matter at hand for two seconds?" he practically growled.

River sighed and looked into Amy's face. "There simply isn't time for this – none of this is important right now."

"And what could POSSIBLY be more important than this?" Amy spat, becoming dangerously close to losing control over her temper.

River looked back and forth between Rory and Amy, taking in their identical expressions of confusion, fear and anger before saying the only three words that could possibly capture their attention: "Saving the Doctor."


	2. Chapter 2

**CHAPTER TWO**

Amy blinked. "What?"

"He died, remember?" River said. Amy and Rory just stared at her. "Before 1969? We cried a lot, burned his body … Ringing any bells?" she exclaimed, still seeing only blank expressions.

"Yeah, we remember," Rory finally replied. "Astronaut on the beach with a gun. Clear as a bell."

River grinned. "When you say it like that it sounds like a game of Clue gone horribly wrong."

At that they all fell silent. River continued her sonicing. Rory stared into space, unsure of where to look or what to say. Finally, Amy said "I've had just about enough of this."

"Right? This sonic noise can be really obnoxious." River stuck the device in her pocket and started pressing buttons on the wrist teleport.

"Yeeeah, not what I was talking about," Amy said.

"I got that, but then I ignored it and moved on."

Amy looked at Rory, searching for help. Rory, however, had nothing to offer and shrugged. Sighing, Amy turned back to River and said "Okay, River. You win. I can put my questions aside for a few minutes. What do we have to do to put your brilliant plan in motion?"

River looked at her parents with a somber expression. "Well for starters, I suppose, you just have to HOLD ON!" Her arms suddenly were in a flash of movement as she grabbed Amy and Rory's hands and smashed a button on her newly soniced device. Amy and Rory didn't have time to make a sound before they vanished from the strange army base in deep space and left nothing but empty air.

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><p>The world suddenly flashed back into focus and the trio of time travelers found themselves standing on solid ground. Rory and Amy's eyes combed their new surroundings for any sign of where they might have landed. Judging by the trees, grass and oxygen-filled air, they must have returned to Earth. The make and models of the surrounding cars seemed to indicate they were more or less in their own time period. But wait … where exactly were they? Were they …? No they simply couldn't be in –<p>

"Cardiff?" gasped Rory, clueing in to where they had landed.

"Yes sir," said River. "Best catch your breath now, kiddies – we have one crazy ride ahead of us."

"Kiddies?" bristled Amy.

"Another ride? Where to? I thought we were already where we wanted to be," questioned Rory, ignoring the comment Amy was currently fuming about.

River, who had been pressing still more buttons on the teleport, raised an eyebrow. "You think I _want _to be in Cardiff? No, no – this is only a pit stop." She gestured around them. "Welcome to Cardiff, home of the largest rift of energy this world has to offer. It's crucial in getting us where we need to go."

Amy was incredibly fed up with the entire situation. She could feel her temper flaring up again and took a few deep breathes to calm herself down. After all, if whatever River (or should she cal her Melody?) had planned could help them save the Doctor, she would simply go along with it. "And why is that?"

"Two reasons," River replied. "One, the rift bleeds energy that time traveling devices like this can convert and use as fuel. This thing is going to need all the power it can get to make it through this journey," she explained, pointing to the teleport. "And two," she said, pressing a few more buttons and grabbing her parents' hands again, "it brings us closer to our current destination."

"And where is that, exactly?" asked Rory, still very confused by this whole ordeal.

River didn't answer; she simply pressed a button on the teleport, causing them to once again vanish from thin air.

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><p>The trip to River's next unknown destination was not a pleasant one – not that traveling by wrist teleport like a Time Agent ever was, mind you. The TARDIS was really the only ideal way to travel through time and space, both shielding you from the harsh climate of the Time Vortex and preventing such a head rush when you landed. This time, though, was much worse than the usual trip sans TARDIS – it felt as though they were being torn apart and compressed at the same time as they traveled. The group shook and the air filled with a screaming sound Amy was fairly certain came from the vortex itself and not her own mouth (or, god forbid, Rory's).<p>

Finally the horrid trip ended. It must have only taken a matter of seconds, but it definitely seemed like years. Amy and Rory collapsed on the floor, breathing heavily. Even River, who had mentally been preparing herself for this trip, seemed shaken.

"Where are we?" panted Rory, attempting to help Amy to her feet.

Amy looked around; they seemed to be in a quaint little house. Amy wasn't sure what she had been expecting – a large lab filled with machinery, perhaps? This room hardly seemed to contain anything useful at all in helping them save the Doctor – it appeared to be a mere bedroom, and a sickly pink one at that. She snuck a quick glance out a window – it looked like they were in London! But something was different … The air seemed to be full of balloon vehicles. _Zeppelins?_ What on Earth …

"River … Why are we here? What's the plan?" asked Amy, turning around and stumbling slighly.

River had already recovered from the unpleasant trip and was leaning comfortably against a wall. She smiled. "Plan? I haven't got one."

Amy blinked. "I'm sorry?"

River tilted her head to the ceiling and sighed. "Amy, calm down. *I* haven't got a plan …" She paused as the sound of footsteps filled the air.

Amy turned in the direction of the noise. The door to the room suddenly flew open; two people, a man and a woman, ran in and slammed it shut behind them. They turned, suddenly acknowledging the presence of three strangers in the house.

The man's mouth fell open. "Wh – What? WHAT? WHAT?"

River grinned. " … But *he* might," she finished. She waved in the general direction of the couple. "Hello, sweetie!"

Rory stared at the new arrivals; the man was tall and slim, dressed in a brown pinstripe suit and had hair sticking up in every which direction. The woman, a bottle-blonde with what must have been four pounds of eye make-up caked on her face was, he realized with terror, holding a _humungous_ gun. The couple stared back at him, their expressions identical with shock and confusion. "I don't understand," Rory said, turning to River. "Who are these people?"

River took a step forward. "Well, Rory," she said, gesturing to the woman "this is Rose Tyler, defender of the Earth." She then gestured in the other direction, catching the intense stare of the thin man. "And this, my friends," she said, moving even closer to the newcomers, "is the Doctor."

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><p><strong>I apologize to any Amy fans out there - I realize she's been rather bratty and unpleasant these last few chapters. In fairness, her daughter was kidnapped and the same daughter, who is now much older, has been teleporting her all over the place without answering any questions. You'd probably act out a bit, too. ;)<br>And not to worry - things are scheduled to change.**

**Reviews are awesome ... *hint hint***


	3. Chapter 3

**CHAPTER THREE**

_** Five minutes and thirty-six seconds earlier … **_

"RUN!"

Rose Tyler and the Doctor tore madly down the streets of London, desperately seeking some form of protection. Their pursuers, a trio of reptilian, venom-spitting aliens, tore after them, gaining speed and closing in on the duo with every passing moment.

"Remind me again why I used to think Sundays were boring?" yelled the Doctor, glancing to his right to make sure Rose was still there beside him.

"I don't know! They always seemed exciting to me!" she replied, looking over her shoulder as she ran. She spun on her heel and fired a few warning shots from her gun. The creatures didn't even blink. _Could_ they blink? Did they even _have_ eyelids? Rose wasn't sure. "Doctor, they're gaining on us! We need to get out of the street NOW!"

"Yes, yes! Refuge! Shelter! Think, think, think, think," muttered the Doctor. He swiveled his head around and observed his surroundings, looking for a secure location. "THERE!" he cried, pointing to a small house on the street corner. He booked it towards the front door. "ALLONS-Y, ROSE TYLER!" Rose followed his lead and tore after him. The aliens were closing in quickly.

The Doctor kicked in the door and pulled Rose in behind him, slamming it shut and securing the dead bolt. He sighed in relief and sank to the floor. The door vibrated with the pounding fists and tails of the creatures banging on the door.

"I thought you said Hergorphians were a friendly species," panted Rose, casting an accusatory glance in the Doctor's direction.

"I thought they were!" he cried defensively, rising to his feet. "At least, in the *other* universe they were. Here they seem intent to feed on human flesh," he marveled. "Brilliant creatures, the Hergorphians. Their survival instincts are _magnificent_. Did you SEE that _beautiful _venom spew they did back there? They never were very technologically advanced, though. It's a miracle in itself they were able to create transport strong enough to last the journey to Earth. How in the world did they do that?"

Rose smiled at her Doctor's antics, but quickly caught herself and became serious again at the sound of the door shuddering from impact. "Weak technology, eh? So, brute strength aside, we should be safe here, then?"

The Doctor considered. "Yes. Absolutely." The door continued to quiver. "Well, probably." The door shook harder than it had yet. "Well, actually no. Not at all."

The door was abruptly hit with such force that a crack appeared in it and a section of wood burst free, creating a hole. A Hergorphian looked in, growling ferociously before poking through a silver device of some kind and blasting a stream of pure, white-hot energy just past Rose's head.

"Weak technology?" repeated Rose, backing up down a hallway and grasping her gun.

"Wrong twice in one day," mused the Doctor, following her. "Strange."

The door began to quiver with such ferocity that a screw sprung free from a hinge and flew to land at the Doctor's feet. "RUN!" shouted the Doctor again as he and Rose tore down a hallway. Rose ripped open the door to a bedroom and she and the Doctor ran inside, slamming it closed behind them.

"Pretty normal day for us, huh?" she whispered, smiling.

The Doctor didn't respond – he was too busy staring at something in the room behind her. She spun around and her mouth fell open. To her surprise, three people stood in the bedroom, two women and … a Roman?

"Wh- What? WHAT? WHAT?" came the Doctor's signature cry of surprise beside Rose. Normally this would have made her laugh, but this time she was just as surprised as he was.

One of the women spoke, saying something that sounded like, "But *he* might!" Rose was unsure as to what this meant. Was she finishing an earlier thought? She was even more unnerved when the woman faced the Doctor and waved, grinning as she said "Hello, sweetie!" 'Sweetie'? Rose instantly felt territorial; who was this strange, poofy-haired woman? And where did she get off calling *her* Doctor 'sweetie'?

Rose surveyed the other two people in the room. The other woman had fiery red hair and was wearing a stark white combination that looked almost like maternity wear. The Roman, she noted, had protectively stepped in front of her, anxiously looking back and forth between herself and the Doctor as he ran a hand through his sandy colored hair. "I don't understand," he said, seemingly to the first woman. "Who are these people?"

_We could ask you the same thing,_ Rose thought. She felt a hand close around hers and snuck a quick peek at the Doctor's face; he seemed surprised, certainly, but also severely unnerved and upset. His eyes were locked on the strange poofy-haired woman and Rose saw a glint of recognition in his eyes; he had seen this woman before. She quickly glanced back at the trio of strangers.

The woman stepped forward, gesturing toward Rose and flashing her a gentle smile. "Well, Rory," she said to the Roman, "this is Rose Tyler, defender of the Earth." _She knows who I am?_ thought Rose, now extremely anxious. The feeling only grew stronger as she watched the woman lock eyes with the Doctor. "And this, my friends," she said, stepping even closer to the timelord-human hybrid, "is the Doctor." She smiled, and took a step back.

A moment of silence fell over the group. No one in either party spoke a word. Finally, Rose turned to the Doctor and whispered, "You know them, don't you?"

"Only the blonde," he whispered quietly, his eyes never straying from the woman's face. "And put that gun down, would you? I hate guns, and I _think_ you're terrifying the Roman."

Rose took one look at the Roman's face and lowered her gun. "And … the blonde … _how_ do you know her?" Rose asked, trying to keep the jealousy from spilling into her voice and failing miserably. The Doctor turned to her, his expression momentarily amused, and was about to reply when the red-haired woman interrupted.

"No. No! You're wrong! That's not the Doctor! It can't be! He doesn't look a thing like the Doctor!" she announced, turning to the first woman and pointing an accusatory finger. "What are you playing at, River?"

"Amy, calm down. Timelords can regenerate, remember? Just breathe," the woman, River, sighed. Rose had the feeling she was missing some crucial piece of information about those two, but she couldn't put her finger on what it was.

Amy growled. "Fine." She stormed over the Doctor and demanded, "How old was I when we first met? If you're really the Doctor, you'll remember."

The Doctor blinked. "Um, I really don't know. I'm sorry."

Amy spun around, triumphant. "I knew it!"

The Doctor continued. "Honestly, I haven't a clue who you are or how you know me." He glanced up at River and said inquisitively, "Why does that always seem to happen when you're around, Ms. Song?"

River raised an eyebrow. "You know who_ I_ am, then? We've met?"

The Doctor smiled sadly. "Once."

"Good. That'll make this go much faster."

"And what might *this* be?" asked the Doctor.

River grinned. "Spoilers." The Doctor laughed and relaxed completely. Seeing the Doctor relax made Rose feel more relaxed, too, although she still had no idea what was happening.

River turned to Amy and Rory. "Okay, you two, I'm only going to explain this once, so pay attention." She gestured toward the Doctor. "This is the Doctor before you met him – he hasn't even regenerated into the form you know him as yet. Actually, this Doctor never *will*, but that's not the point." She gestured toward Rose. "Rose is his former companion. Now they live in a parallel world to ours, one that is usually sealed off. However," she held up her wrist cuff, "nothing is impossible to reach when you have a sonic screwdriver. We're currently in their universe, and my hope is," she turned to the Doctor, "that he can help us with your little problem."

"Problem?" questioned Rose. She was still confused as to who these people, who she now knew to be called River, Rory and Amy, *were* and how they had managed to jump universes, but at this point going with the flow seemed to be her best option.

The door suddenly started to vibrate, causing Rose and the Doctor to remember why they were in this room in the first place. "While that's a question I'd love answered as well, Rose," said the Doctor, turning around, "I think we should probably escape from the terrifying space monsters first."

"Agreed," said Rose, pointing her gun at the door. She spotted the Rory the Roman's face and stifled a laugh. A Roman terrified of a blonde girl with a gun; that was something she never thought she would see. "Sorry, everyone, but before we help you with your problem, it looks like you'll have to help us with ours first."

"And what kind of problem is that?" asked Amy. Rose resisted the urge to stick out her tongue; this woman was starting to get on her nerves.

The Doctor turned and flashed his signature grin of excitement at the group. "The usual; aliens trying to tear off and devour every bit of flesh from our bodies. Isn't that brilliant?"

Amy blinked and turned to River. "Maybe he really _is_ the Doctor."

Rose and the Doctor laughed. They were still laughing when the door flew open and the Hergorphians crashed into the room.

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><p><strong>Thank you to everyone who has already reviewed, favorited or put "Saving Yourself" on alert! It was such a pleasant surprise!<strong>

**I'd also like to apologize if the aliens mentioned in this chapter were hard to believe; I just pulled the image out of thin air and ran with it. They aren't actually a creaure that has ever appeared on the show, and any resemblance to other creatures in any other ficticious medium is purely unintentional.**

**Finally, a special shout out goes to WishfulThinkin21 for their comment - you basically summarized _exactly_ what I think, and it was refreshing to find someone who feels the same way. Thank you for your comments. :)**

**I'm still working on chapter four - I have it nearly finished, but it feels almost boring to me in comparison to this chapter. It should be up in no time, though.**


	4. Chapter 4

**CHAPTER FOUR**

The force of the door flying open pushed Rose and the Doctor further to the back of the room. They stood protectively in front of their three new acquaintances, shielding them from the indigo reptiles gnashing their teeth and snarling.

"Oh, hello!" said the Doctor, cheerfully addressing the hostile aliens. "Didn't hear you knock! How rude of me. Am I back to being rude again? Curious. I'm the Doctor, by the way. Can I help any of you with anything?" He glanced back and forth between the creatures' faces. " …Anyone?"

The Hergorphians merely snarled, made slashing motion with their long claws and took a step closer to their potential meal.

"Ah well, it was worth a try. All right, everyone; out the window!" The Doctor sprang to action, throwing open a window and climbing outside. "Rose, cover them! River, follow me, then you two." He gestured to Amy and Rory. He threw one leg out the window and the rest of him quickly followed; he vanished from Rose's view completely. River followed without a word, momentarily leaving Rory and Amy in Rose's care.

Rose fired a series of shots around the creature's feet. "What are you doing?" cried Amy. "That's not going to kill them! Aim higher!"

"I don't WANT to kill them!" Rose yelled back. Yep, Amy was DEFINITELY getting on her nerves. "The Doctor hates killing innocent creatures."

"Innocent? They're trying to _eat_ us!" shouted Rory, helping Amy out the window.

"Then YOU kill them, Rory, because I am _not_ spending the next month sharing a house with that man's endless ranting!" Rose continued to fire, grazing one of the creatures' feet in the process. The beast cried out in pain. "Oh, I'm sorry!"

"Are you APOLOGIZING TO IT?" Rory cried, bewildered.

"GO OUT THE WINDOW, RORY!" Rose yelled, nudging him out so she could escape as well. She hopped out the window, meeting the group on the ground. "We're good. Let's go!" The Doctor grabbed her hand and all of them tore across the lawn.

Amy cast a glance at the Doctor and this blonde woman called Rose. She had said they shared a house; since when did the Doctor live in a _house_? She also found herself mildly annoyed by their hand holding. She knew it probably meant nothing (the Doctor back home help hands with his companions while running all the time, after all), but the tight grip he had on this girl's hand seemed _different _somehow. She brushed the thoughts aside; they were running for their lives, after all. This was no time to over analyze things. "Where are going?" she asked as they sprinted. "The TARDIS?"

"We don't have one," the Doctor replied. Amy's head spun around to see is he was serious, but apparently he was. A Doctor without a TARDIS? What was the world coming to? "What do you think, Rose?" the Doctor continued. "To Torchwood?"

"Sounds like a plan to me," she said, pivoting to look for potential alien pursuers. Luckily, they seemed to be quite a distance away at this point.

The newcomers ran, following Rose and the Doctor to a large, silver building so tall it seemed to scratch the sky. The Doctor ripped the door open. "In, in, in!" he urged, shooing his four cohorts into the building and swiftly closing the door behind them.

Rose smashed her hand down on a button by the door frame and yelled "SHIELDS UP!" A strange hum filled the air and a translucent blue energy field was suddenly visible, seemingly surrounding the whole building. She peeked out the window and sighed with relief.

"That should hold them off. So far nothing has been able to breach that," breathed the Doctor. He turned to the group and grinned. "Look at all you lovely humans! You come to a parallel world, land smack in the middle of an alien hunt and seek refuge in the largest alien intelligence agency on the planet, yet none of you look overly frightened at all!" He grinned even wider. "I don't know if that's because of bravery or stupidity, but either way, _I love it_!"

"Doctor," chided Rose.

"Rude? Again? Sorry, I do that a lot." He turned to River. "So, Professor, how is it you got here in the first place? The Doctor sealed off all the parallel worlds for good. It should have been impossible for you to get here!"

River raised both eyebrows. "Did you just call me 'Professor'? Spoilers, Doctor!"

The Doctor frowned. "Ha ha," he said sarcastically. "But seriously."

River held up the wrist teleport. "Sonic setting 73 on this thing altered the neutron flow pattern and freed up more cletpon energy, enough to literally stretch aside the walls on the Time Vortex long enough for us to pass through to a neighboring universe. They should have bounced back into place as soon as we universe jumped."

The Doctor gaped. "But that's BRILLIANT! Who taught you do to that?"

River smiled. "You, of course."

"BRILLIANT." The Doctor turned. "What is it I always say, Rose?"

She smiled. "You're a genius?"

"I'm a _genius_!" he confirmed, jumping a little to expel some of his excitement. He sobered up then and turned back to River. "Why use a wrist teleport, though? Where's the TARDIS?"

"You have it," replied River.

"And I couldn't come along? It should have been safe, you know. I'm not _exactly_ the Doctor, so there shouldn't have been any problem with crossing timelines." He suddenly stared into River's eyes and his tone became very serious. "But that's not why I'm not here, is it, River?" She shook her head. "What is it you need me for?"

Rose turned to River, eager to hear an answer for herself.

River frowned. She looked back and forth between Amy and Rory before simply saying, "We need you to save your own life."

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><p>When Rose had woken up that morning, she definitely didn't think she would be spending a perfectly good Sunday afternoon serving tea to a visiting couple. That was what NORMAL people did on Sundays, the reason the Doctor had always hated them. Rose and the Doctor always went out of their way to get into trouble on that second weekend day; after all, they no longer had a TARDIS to merely skip over them. Despite all that, here she was now, serving tea to an angry ginger woman and her apparently non-Roman husband.<p>

As if that wasn't bad enough, the Doctor wasn't even there with her. The second River told him about the other Doctor's death, he had grabbed her hand (Rose had flinched a little) and lead her to his Torchwood "office", a room filled with all sorts of alien technology they had salvaged, as well as the most advanced devices created on Earth. This left Rose alone with Rory and Amy, trying to play hostess, something she had never been good at.

Conversation between the three of them had come easily at first; Rory and Amy filled in Rose on the day they had just lived through back home, their voyage to her world and the details of their Doctor's death. They had speculated on how Rose's Doctor might help them, discussed what resources they could use and how they could possibly all get back home. Once these topics were out of the way, however, things began to get a little strained.

Rose, trying to prevent a lag in conversation, began to tell them of her adventures with the Doctor. She told them of the first time she was stranded in this world, how she returned and all the events that lead up to them foiling Davros' plans. Amy seemed very frustrated during all of this and kept shooting Rose a look that seemed to say _'Stay away from *my* Doctor.'_ Rose tried her best to move past this, and somehow resisted to urge to shoot back a look that meant _'I was here first.'_ She managed to remain civil, however, and kept the conversation flowing. She had just gotten to explaining how there got to be two Doctors, hers and theirs, when things really took a turn for the worse.

"Oh, I see," Amy said. "It all makes sense now. Yours isn't the REAL Doctor, then. He's just a copy."

Rose bristled. "I'm sorry? He's the nearly exact same as the original, Amy."

"Yeah, but he's not the real Doctor, though," said Amy. "WE have the real Doctor back home. You just have one that's … similar." The way she said this was almost smug. Rose was not impressed.

Rory could visibly see Rose's discomfort and anger growing. "Amy, this is just like that thing with The Flesh a while back, remember? Both Doctors were real; there were just two of them. They both had the same memories and looked and acted the same way, right? This is exactly like that." Rose flashed him a thankful smile; she was beginning to like Rory. He was such a peacekeeper.

"This is nothing like that at all," dismissed Amy. "He's not the REAL Doctor, Rory!"

"Oh, I'm real alright," said a voice behind her. Amy spun around to see the Doctor standing there, an unreadable expression on his face. Oh dear. "You don't need to finch like that, Amy," continued the Doctor, reading the fear and embarrassment in her face. "You're not the first person to think that way, and frankly, I don't have time to waste telling you off or trying to convince you otherwise." He turned and smiled a small smile at Rose. "But Rose Tyler has accepted me. _I've_ accepted me. Even River and Rory here seem to have accepted me." He turned back to Amy and a dangerous, slow smirk spread across his face. Slowly, he said, "So I guess you're just stuck with me now, aren't you Ms. Pond?"

Amy sat there in shock. This Doctor definitely had the same angry speech gene her Doctor had, and he had captured the same respect from her family they gave her Doctor as well; River and Rory were currently shooting her disapproving glances. Were they crazy? Couldn't they see this just wasn't the same man they knew and trusted? He couldn't be … Could he?

Rose, meanwhile, was resisting the urge to run across the room and plant a huge kiss on the Doctor's lips. She knew, though, that it would most likely just prolong the current drama. After all, she hadn't even told Amy that she and the Doctor were a couple now; she had a suspicious feeling that probably wouldn't go over well. Instead of what she really wanted to do, Rose just stood and said, "So, Doctor, what's our next move, eh?"

The Doctor faced Rose. He wanted to stop everything and run to her, too. The loving look on her face was killing him … but this, as usual, was not a time for romance. All of that would have to wait.

"Well, Rose Tyler," he said, "we're going on one of the biggest adventures we've had in a while." She shot him an inquisitive look; he grinned. "Rose Tyler, "he said again, pausing for effect, "We're going home."

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><p><strong>I've just noticed that the further into the story I write, the longer my chapters get. Huh.<strong>

**Anyway, a huge thank you again to my readers; I only started posting yesterday and I've already been met with so much enthusiasm and interest! I'm very flattered!**

**It seems Amy is still acting out in this chapter, huh? Not to worry, though - I've started writing the next few chapters and she's already beginning to ease up a little.**

**I love, love, love reviews, so please shoot a few my way if you have the time! :)**


	5. Chapter 5

**CHAPTER FIVE**

_About an hour later …_

River's wrist teleport was proving to be a more and more frustrating method of travel. Maybe it was because they had gained two more passengers, Amy wasn't sure, but the trip back to her rightful universe was even more unpleasant than their trip leaving it. When solid Earth was finally back under their feet, the five time travelers all collapsed to the ground, wheezing and exhausted.

Rose was the first to regain the ability of speech. She turned to the Doctor and said, "That's how Time Agents travel? That's bloody ridiculous! How on Earth did Jack do that for so long?"

"The Captain is exceptional in many ways," he teased in reply, flashing a grin Rose's way.

"Oh, yes he _is_," muttered River happily to herself.

Everyone's eyes flashed to River. The Doctor's were amused, Rose's shone with curiosity and Amy and Rory's both look confused and alarmed.

"And WHO is this Captain Jack?" questioned Amy, spinning to face the Doctor again.

"Just an old friend of mine," he replied dismissively. Amy frowned; how had the Doctor never mentioned all of these 'friends' he'd once had to her? Rose? Captain Jack? That woman Rose had told her about, Donna? Why had he kept it all a secret? She had thought the Doctor told her everything; in fact, part of her was still convinced this was true. Maybe that was why she still couldn't accept this new, or rather _old_, Doctor – part of her thought all he said was an elaborate lie.

"Now," the Doctor said, snapping Amy back to reality, "Let's put this plan in motion, eh team?" He frowned suddenly. "No, not team. I still _really_ dislike that word. Let's put this plan in motion … Squad? Group? Gang? No, none of those …" He trailed off, unable to find an appropriate term. "Well, you know what I mean. Let's go!" He took off, his yellow Converse shoes tapping on the concrete.

Everyone was surprised to see that Rory was the first to follow, including him. He hadn't even posed any questions about where they were going. Rory considered where this blind trust had come from as he walked and discovered the answer; this Doctor was _taken_. Despite knowing his Doctor would never make a move on Amy, Rory still couldn't completely trust him. The Doctor was an older, mature man with a _time machine_ who was _SINGLE_ – that was hard to compete with. This Doctor, however, was no competition as he was completely infatuated with Rose. He doubted Amy had noticed; he had always been the romantic. He had seen the Doctor take Rose's hand back at Torchwood when he thought no one was looking, had watched him give her a long, lingering hug and whisper in her ear before they had universe jumped, causing her to smile. Rory knew what love looked like; this was it. This knowledge combined with what he already knew about the Doctor made Rory trust him one hundred percent.

Rose, River and Amy trekked along behind the two men. None of them knew what the Doctor's first move would be, even River who had been there to help form the plan. They were all surprised, therefore, when the Doctor led them to a small children's park, surrounded by picnic tables and flowers.

"I don't understand," said Amy. "Why are we stopping here?"

The Doctor walked a few steps, taking the place in. "It's lovely, isn't it?"

"Sure," spoke up Rory. "I guess, yeah."

The Doctor turned to River and took her hand in his. "It's beautiful, right River?" He said softly. "Gives you a kind of warm, snuggly feeling inside, right?"

River blinked and looked into his face. "Yes," she finally breathed, looking bewildered and somewhat dazed.

The Doctor grinned and abruptly jumped back. "Good!" he cried, running to Rose and grabbing her hand. "Then you won't mind hanging here for a bit. See you in a few!"

With that, he and Rose vanished, leaving their three friends confused and alone in a deserted play park.

* * *

><p>Rose and the Doctor were suddenly standing alone inside some sort of storage room.<p>

Rose blinked, her eyes wide. "What? What just happened?"

The Doctor held up his wrist to give her a clear view of River's teleport, now securely attached to his arm instead of hers. "Well, I made our new friends comfy, distracted River so I could grab _this_ beauty and VOILA! teleported us here."

"And where is here, exactly?" Rose paused. "Wait – are we in a high school?"

"Can't you remember?" the Doctor said. "A few years ago, we got a call from Mister Mickey? You met Sarah Jane? There were – "

"Bat creatures," finished Rose. "I remember now. But … why are we back here?"

The Doctor flashed his wrist again. "This thing really is rubbish," he said. "Wouldn't you like to travel in style?" He pushed aside a few boxes and there, right in front of their noses, was a lovely blue police box.

"Oh my god," breathed Rose. "Wait – why didn't we bring the others?"

"Too many people – you were there that last trip. This thing can't handle more than two people well." He paused, then added, "And, well, I wanted it to be just us again. Like the good old days." He smiled. "Remember, Rose Tyler?"

Rose grinned. "Oh, yes."

The Doctor moved to open the door but Rose cried, "Wait! Won't 'Past Us' need it? With the bat aliens and all? We can't just _take_ it!"

"Nah. We, I mean _they_, won't be needing it for a day or so. We can get it back in plenty of time. Come on, Rose," he grinned deviously. "Don't you wanna see the old girl one last time?"

Rose smiled. She walked up to the Doctor, put her face directly in front of his and whispered, "Yes." She leaned in … and reached behind him, opening the door and tearing inside before him.

"Wha- No fair!" the Doctor complained, dashing in after her. "I wanted to open the door! Be the gentleman and all that. She's *my* ship!"

Rose ignored him and the Doctor too fell silent. They stared at the beautiful ship, breathing in the moment, considering things they would never do and drudging up old memories of all the things they had.

Rose walked over to the control panel and looked back at the Doctor, smiling slightly. "This is where I stood last time we were here – when we all flew the Earth home."

The Doctor walked past her a few steps and stood looking back into her face. "And this is where I stood," he said, "when we were saying good-bye all those years ago."

Rose frowned. "_My_ memory was a happy one."

"Yeah," the Doctor said, staring at the floor. "I guess mine wasn't quite as cheery, was it? The day I didn't have the chance to say …" He trailed off. His sentence didn't need finishing.

Rose watched him for a moment before her smile returned. She crossed to him and took her hand in hers. "Hey, tell you what," she said. "The words you couldn't say then … you could tell them to me now."

His eyes flitted to her face. "What, right now?" He smiled incredulously. "I must have told you a hundred times since then!"

"But not here," she replied. "Doctor, I know how you feel about your ship. I don't want you to have any bad memories connected to it that we can prevent." She took hold of his other hand as well, and turned so they were face to face. "So, Doctor," she whispered, "what were you going to say?"

The Doctor smiled. He moved his hand to her hips, pulling her closer to him. "Rose Tyler," he began, staring deep into her eyes. Rose shivered and stared right back. Her eyes locked on his lips as he leaned in closer …

… Just in time for the Doctor to pull back and say, "all this can wait until our work is done." He planted a quick kiss on her forehead and practically sprinted back up to the controls, his eyes glazing over in happiness now he had the chance to fly his beloved TARDIS again.

Rose sighed. "Yupp," she muttered to herself. "EXACTLY like the good old days." She swallowed her disappointment and walked to stand beside her Doctor. "So what do we do now?" she asked.

The Doctor looked at her and grinned. "You got your mobile?"

* * *

><p>Amy paced around the play park unhappily. She hated not knowing what was happening and now here she was, back in the dark. She turned to River and glared accusingly. "Do you still trust this man <em>now<em>?"

River looked up from her seat on a picnic table. "Yes, Amy," she said wearily. "I still trust _the Doctor._"

"But IS he the Doctor?" Amy countered. "_MY_ Doctor_ never_ would've vanished like that."

River raised an eyebrow. "_Yes, he would've_," she said slowly. "He does it _all the time_."

That stumped Amy. She sat down and thought in silence, squeezing Rory's hand when he came to sit by her. This whole day had been exhausting – Demon's Run, her lost baby, River, dimension jumping. Amy was so tired. Maybe that was why she didn't believe this man was the Doctor, she suddenly realized. Was she just grumpy because she was so tired? Did exhaustion make her distrustful?

Amy didn't have time to consider this any further because a noise suddenly filled the air; it was a familiar noise, a sort of groany whirr. The group all stood and stared as their beloved TARDIS suddenly materialized in from of them, sturdy as ever.

They watched the door open and were surprised when a man who wasn't the Doctor stepped out first. His fixed his dark hair and adjusted his long, blue coat before waltzing right up to Amy, extending his hand and saying, with a smile, "Captain Jack Harkness. And who might you be?"

* * *

><p><strong>I was trying to focus on Ten-Point-Five and Rose more this chapter; they're my favorite pairing, and I love writing them. I would give nearly anything for them to resurface on the show somehow, but as that's very unlikely, I'll simply have to stick with my wishful-thinking-fanfiction for now.<strong>

**This chapter was mostly romance, but the next is mostly action. I'll do my best to finish it up and post soon.**

**Your reviews thus far have been lovely! Any chance I can get some more? ;)**


	6. Chapter 6

**So ... I goofed up.**

**I was rewatching "The Impossible Astronaut" in preparation for the next chapter and realized I had made a big mistake; the Doctor doesn't die in 1969, he dies in 2011. It's AFTER his death the group travels to 1969 like he told them to.**

**Luckily, this hasn't altered the story very much at all; I've only had to change a few dates.**

**In any case, I apologize for the confusion I kight have caused. To clarify, the plan is for the group to save the Doctor in 2011.**

**Enjoy the new chapter!**

* * *

><p><strong>CHAPTER SIX<strong>

Amy's mouth opened in a round 'o' shape. "I – I, um –"

The Doctor chose this moment to pop his head out the TARDIS door. "Captain, I've been back all of five minutes. Do I really need to say this already?" He shook his head and flashed Jack an exaggerated glare of mock-anger. "EASE UP WITH THE FLIRTING."

Jack laughed. "As always, Doctor, I was just saying _hello._" He turned to Amy and winked suggestively. "Unless, of course, you want it to mean more than that."

Rose followed the Doctor out of the ship, coming to Amy's rescue. "Easy, Tiger. She's already hitched to our Roman friend here."

Jack's eyes flicked to Rory, who was standing next to River looking dazed, and sighed. "That is quite literally the one thing you could have said to deter me, Rose Tyler."

She winked at him. "I know." She turned to the others and said "I hope you don't mind we invited an old friend to the party; he has this nasty habit of actually coming in handy."

During all these shenanigans, River had made her way over to the Doctor. "I'd like my teleport back now, thank you," she said, giving him a faux-steely stare.

He handed it over and, seeing her unwavering expression, shrugged. "I needed it!" he said defensively.

She smiled. "You could have _asked."_

He groaned. "But asking is nowhere NEAR as much fun!"

She laughed and turned to address the group. "Okay, gang, we have a TARDIS. Everyone pile in!"

Jack locked eyes with her and raised an eyebrow. "I'm sorry, who are you?"

River only grinned in response, a devious sexy grin. "Oh, someday you're going to have _so_ much fun figuring that out."

Jacks eyes widened, then he smiled and sprung into a mock-salute. "Yes, Ma'am!"

Everyone made their way into the TARDIS. Amy and Rory stopped short once they stepped inside. "This isn't our TARDIS," breathed Amy, taking in the ship's interior.

"I remember it, though," realized Rory, "from when we trapped in the TARDIS with that Ood, Nephew, a while back. Remember?"

"You're right," Amy breathed. She turned to face River. "So, what, does the TARDIS regenerate too?" She asked incredulously.

"You could put it that way," she agreed.

"Still works the same, though," chimed in the Doctor. "After the Time War I tried to get her to reconfigure so she could be flown by only one person. It didn't work, obviously." He flicked a few switches on the control panel and sent them flying into deep space. "2011, here we come!"

Rory blinked. "But … the TARDIS _is_ only flown by one person."

Jack grinned. "As far as you know!" He crossed the floor to talk to River.

Rory frowned. Rose walked over and took his hand. "Just ignore him," she whispered, gesturing towards Jack. "_I_ do." This coaxed a small laugh out of Rory and Rose smiled.

Meanwhile, Amy's head was beginning to pound; strange Doctor, strange TARDIS, strange new people _in_ the strange TARDIS … It was all too unfamiliar for her to handle. She walked over to the doors and pulled them open, staring out into the Time Vortex. It was the same as ever, full of swirling lights and patterns, and she let out a sigh of relief; some things never changed. The sense of normality had a calming effect, and she stood smiling out into space, enjoying the view she had always loved.

The Doctor and Rose watched her, smiling faintly. Neither of them were overly fond of Amy at this point, but the way she was gazing at her surroundings was all too familiar to them; they felt the same way each time they traveled, amazed by what they were seeing. _We have something in common_, Rose realized; the both loved TARDIS travel. It was then she began to see other similarities she and Amy shared; they were both fiercely protective of their Doctors, hated not knowing what was happening and, Rose remembered from the first time she met Sarah Jane, unhappy that the Doctor has traveled with others before themselves. Rose made a mental note to be nicer to Amy - they really were quite similar.

"So the TARDIS works the same way," Rory interrupted her train of thought. She shook her head to clear her mind and nodded. "Then this is still the switch that drains the swimming pool?"

"Yep," Rose replied.

"And this one deploys the emergency landing gear?"

"We have emergency landing gear?" Rose asked the Doctor, raising an eyebrow. "And we never used it WHY?"

The Doctor grinned sheepishly. "Honestly, I usually forgot we had it," he admitted. He turned to Rory. "You do know a lot about the TARDIS, Rory. You must pay attention."

Rory grinned. "I know enough." He reached past the Doctor for another lever. "To be honest, the only other switch I really know is this one to the coffee machine." His hand closed around the lever.

"NO, DON'T PULL THAT!" cried the Doctor, but he was too late. The lever Rory assumed would provide him with coffee was in fact the lever the secured the protective oxygen field around the TARDIS. In an instant, all the air from the room was sucked out the open doors, along with Amy.

"NO!" choked Rory, trying to rush to where Amy once stood but collapsing to the floor before he had a chance, making it only halfway there.

The Doctor was faster, though. He dashed to the doors before he got too out of breathe and hung on tight, sticking his head out to search for Amy. He instantly saw her.

Amy was hanging on to the TARDIS door handle for dear life, and knew she didn't have much time left. The lack of oxygen was making her weak and loosening her grip; she only had a matter of seconds left before she was sucked into deep space. Amy's life flashed before her eyes. She saw the Doctor crash-land on her lawn when she was a child, the years or school and waiting for his return, aliens and creatures from other worlds, her wedding, Rory, her baby girl …

River, meanwhile, was desperately trying to get the shield back up. The whipping wind of the Time Vortex was pulling bits of the TARDIS apart; sections of the dashboard were flying off and sending sparks flying, obstructing her view. The wires connected to the lever they needed were ripped off and flashing even worse than the others in the ship. River, nearly out of breath, made quick work of grabbing the wires necessary and gathering them together, but she knew forcing them back into the right socket would send a violent shock through he, one her body couldn't handle. She cried out helplessly.

The Doctor paid no attention to the actions unfolding behind him. He jammed his foot into a groove by the TARDIS doorframe and threw himself into the vortex, reaching for Amy's hand.

Amy was nearly gone now; the last thing she saw before falling unconscious was the Doctor stretching to find her hand. Then she didn't see anything.

Amy's hand slipped off the handle. Her body began to be pulled out into space. The Doctor, however, wasn't about to let that happen. He made a final grab for her hand and caught it just before it was out of reach. Fighting against the vortex, and beginning to lose consciousness himself, the Doctor tried valiantly to pull her back to the ship. The vortex was pulling anything that wasn't patched down or holding on out into space and the Doctor could see Rory's unconscious figure being pulled toward the TARDIS doors.

River saw the Doctor's efforts and knew what she had to do. Deciding her life was a price she could afford to pay, she made an effort to jam the wires into the socket. A hand shot out and grabbed her wrists before she could go through with it; the wires were torn from her hands and River looked up to see Captain Jack was the one who had taken them. He smiled a weak smile and winked before jamming the wires in himself.

The shield was instantly restored. The Doctor and Amy were pulled backwards into the TARDIS, crashing to the floor. Jack was hit by a monstrous shock and collapsed, causing River to scream with the little breath she had left.

The room filled with oxygen again, making the air breathable. The Doctor stood and closed the doors as a precaution. He coughed, and turned to see Rory regaining consciousness. He blinked a few times, began to remember what had happened and whispered, "Amy!" before sprinting as fast as he could to where her body lay.

Amy coughed began to wake up as well, now cradled in the arms of her emotional husband. "What –" she croaked before the Doctor shushed her.

"Don't try to speak," he cautioned. "You were out in the vortex for a while; let your body repair itself first."

Amy moved her hands to her face; he had saved her - the Doctor had saved her! She hadn't said a single nice thing to him since they met, yet the moment she was in danger he had risked his life to tear after her. In that moment she realized the man before her was the real deal; he was the Doctor, and there was no denying it and she had been foolish to try. She pushed the hair out of her eyes, flashed Rory a comforting smile and turned back to the Doctor, uttering a weak, "Thank you." After a moment, she added, "And I'm sorry." And she was; she was sorry for so many things. For judging him, for all her unnecessary snark, for -

"No, I said _don't_ speak," chastised the Doctor. "Why do you women _never_ listen to me?" he pondered. It was then he noticed River; she had her face in her hands and was sobbing quietly near the control panel, crouched over Jack's body. He crossed the floor to join her.

"Doctor," she began when he reached her, "I couldn't stop him. I was going to do it, but he grabbed the wires and he – "

"Shhhh," the Doctor interrupted, pulling her to her feet. "It's fine, River."

"No it's not!" she sobbed. "He's _dead_!"

At that moment, Jack's body shuddered violently and he suddenly sat up, heaving one huge, noisy breath. River jumped, and the Doctor smiled down at the Captain's face. "Still can't die, eh Jack?"

Jack laughed and took a moment to catch his breath before replying, "Nope." He sat up, wincing slightly. "Ouch. It sure does come in handy, though. Remind me to thank Rose later."

The Doctor froze. "Rose." Where was she? He spun around madly and spotted her, collapsed on the floor and not moving a few meters away. The lack of oxygen had gotten to her.

"NO!" he yelled and dashed over to her. He took her face in his hands, her fair falling gentle around her face as he moved her. "Rose? Rose?"

Rose didn't respond. The Doctor put his ear to her mouth listened carefully, but there was no sound of breathing, no sound at all. He felt his eyes tear up. "Oh, no you don't," he growled. "I am not saying goodbye to you on this TARDIS again, Rose Tyler. You are going to wake up, and you're going – " His voice broke and his mind raced. This was all Rory's fault, he realized. It was Rory who pulled the lever and sucked out the air, it was Rory who did it! He almost stood up to yell at him, but managed to stop himself. No, he though. Rose had liked Rory … but _the Doctor_ had liked _Rose._ _More_ than liked her - he had –

A tiny cough pushed all those thoughts from his mind. Rose finally began to wake up; she was wheezing and weak, to be sure, but she was most definitely alive. The Doctor sighed the largest sigh of relief he had uttered his whole life reached to take Rose's hand. Rose continued to cough, her eyelids fluttering until finally her eyes opened. They locked onto the Doctor's and she smiled a feeble smile. "Hey, you," she whispered, her voice raspy. "Wha'd I miss?"

The Doctor laughed and pulled her into a tight hug. The other passengers watched in silence, giving them their moment, which made the loud "THUD!" the TARDIS made when she found solid ground even easier to hear. They are startled at the noise, momentarily panicking before realized what it meant.

"She kept flying," Jack muttered incredulously. "Through all that craziness the ship kept flying."

"Best ship in the universe," smiled River.

The Doctor smiled too and turned his face back to Rose. "Here we are the; planet Earth, 2011."

Rose held onto his shoulders for balance and managed to pull herself to her feet. "Well then, Doctor," she said, gazing over at her fellow time travelers, "let's go save your life."

* * *

><p><strong>Didn't I say Amy would come around eventually? ;)<strong>

**Thanks, as always, to my reviewers. A special shout-out goes to BlueNeutrino for and Reader4077 for reviewing after every chapter. You both brought huge smiles to my face! (And, BlueNeutrino, I completely back you in your comment about Rose and 10.5 in the anniversary special. It would pretty much MAKE MY LIFE if that happened.)**

**I'm always looking for feedback on what was good and what needs work in my writing, so PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE review!**

**Next chapter heralds the beginning of the gang's effort to save the Doctor. Should be interesting ...**

**And, *SELF PLUG ALERT*, I recently posted another Doctor Who story about Martha and Rose dealing with the events in Journey's End. It's called "Second Best" and it's fairly short, so if you have the time, give it a read!**

**Updates to come soon!**


	7. Chapter 7

**CHAPTER SEVEN**

The TARDIS doors opened and everyone piled out onto the street.

"I'd nearly forgotten; no zeppelins," observed Rose. "It's weird, I used to think they were kind of ridiculous, but I've gotten rather attached to mine."

"Me too. At least after _last_ Sunday ..." muttered the Doctor, adjusting his long tan coat. Rose's face flushed slightly.

"What was that?" River asked, spinning around with wide eyes.

"NOTHING," the Doctor answered a bit too quickly. River raised her eyebrows. "So, my gruesome death goes down on the beach, right?" He said, swiftly changing the subject. River's eyebrows didn't go down, but she nodded. "Good, I like the beach."

"I'd like them even more if I didn't have to watch you be killed on one," said Amy.

"Right," the Doctor said enthusiastically. "Well, let's fix that, then! Can't have Ms. Pond over here hating beaches! Off we go! Allons-y!"

The Doctor set off, leading the group, taking quick strides. Jack jogged to catch up with him. "You never did tell me what the plan was, Doctor. How are we going to stop your killer? Is this a mission to capture or kill?"

The Doctor frowned. "This thing is probably _human_, Jack," he said. "Obviously it's a capture."

Jack smiled. "You and I both know it would be a capture no matter what species it was."

The Doctor grinned at that. "Good man, Captain! Torchwood hasn't completely knocked the sense out of you yet, then!"

River strode up to them now and asked, "So what _is_ the plan, Doctor? How are you actually going to capture the astronaut?"

The Doctor turned to face River. "Ms. Song," he said gravely, "there's something I've wanted to say to you for ages, since the day we met. It's something that rings with importance and power and I simply can't put off saying it any longer."

River was captivated and stared into the Doctor's face. "And what is that, Doctor?"

The Doctor's face suddenly broke out into a huge, toothy grin. "Spoilers!"

As River, the Doctor and Jack laughed, Amy was trying to be more civil toward Rose. "What was that the Doctor said earlier? '_Allons-y'_?"

Rose laughed. "It's sort of like his catch phrase," she explained. "He says it whenever he's excited, or facing danger, or telling a joke …" She trailed off as she thought of something and turned to Amy. "Why? Does your Doctor not say it anymore?"

Amy shook her head. "He's different that way. Although," she smiled. "Now that you mention it, though, he _does_ have a sort of catch phrase of his own."

Rose's eyes lit up with curiosity. "And that would be?"

Amy stifled a laugh. "Um, 'Geronimo'?"

The two women fell silent for a moment. Suddenly, they burst into uncontrollable laughter. "_GERONIMO_?" Rose wheezed, grasping her sides. "THAT is the _silliest_ thing I've ever heard!"

"Hey, it's no worse than 'Allons-y'!" Amy shot back playfully. "What, the Doctor thinks in times of danger he can fend of aliens with _FRENCH_?"

They were still laughing when they all finally reached the beach, but they instantly fell silent when they saw the small wooden boat resting on the shore. Amy shuddered, remembering the Doctor's cremation, and Rose put a hand on her shoulder.

"Over here!" the Doctor motioned, ushering everyone behind a large rock on the beach's edge. "River," he said when everyone had reached him, "you said the astronaut came out of the water?"

She nodded and motioned to the spot. "Just there. Then it just strode right into the beach and shot you." She frowned at the memory.

"If it was wearing a spacesuit and came from the water," Jack said, "it would have had an oxygen tank. The astronaut could have been below the water long before any of you arrived on the beach."

"That's just what I was thinking," nodded the Doctor. "So, here's our next move; Rose, you and I are going to make a quick stop at the TARDIS. We're the ones who are actually going to capture the astronaut." He turned to Jack. "Captain, you and River are going to man the TARDIS. River says she can fly it, and that could _really_ come in handy. But don't fly unless it's _absolutely necessary_! And keep an eye on her," he cautioned, gesturing towards River. "Make sure she doesn't, you know," he sniffed, "_touch_ anything."

"Hey!" snapped River. "And you may want to pick up the pace, mister. We'll be arriving in ten minutes."

"Ten?" the Doctor said incredulously. "You mean thirty! You said you all got here at 12:20."

River shook her head. "No, I said at 12:00. You _never_ listen to me."

"Well," said the Doctor, bashfully. "We _really_ better go, then. Come on!"

"Wait - what about us?" asked Rory, stepping forward with Amy.

"Oh. You. _Stay here_," he said sharply. "I mean that, do you understand? STAY. Your past selves could arrive on this beach at any moment. If they see you, it'll cause a lot of trouble. Dump trucks full of trouble. Mountains of trouble. Trouble like that moment when you run out of clean laundry but you have to be out the door in two minutes, so you –"

"We get it," interrupted Amy.

"But couldn't we go with River and Jack in the TARDIS?" asked Rory.

"No. You can't. Absolutely not."

"Why?" asked Rory incredulously.

"Don't you want to see what happens? Someone has to be around to witness the triumph!" Rory looked unconvinced. "Well, that and, um, Amy! She had a BABY! She shouldn't be doing anything strenuous! You need to stay with her, keep her out of danger!" Rory still didn't believe him. The Doctor sighed. "Well, that and the last time you were in the TARDIS you nearly killed all of us and you'd just get in the way." Rory blinked. "Yeah, sorry," said the Doctor. "Oh, and something else. What was that other thing?" He grabbed Rose's hand. "Oh, wait; it's come back to me now – BYE!" And with that, he and the three others ran off back to the ship.

"THAT WAS AN ACCIDENT!" Rory yelled after them, slouching in disappointment. Amy smiled and took his hand as the two settled down behind the rock to watch what would hopefully be a successful capture.

* * *

><p>"I can't believe you stole these," Rose chided. She and the Doctor had returned from the TARDIS and were wading into the waters of the beach. They were now both dressed in bright orange suits with oxygen helmets, the same ones from the space base they had stayed in on the impossible planet where a black hole had hovered overhead.<p>

"Well, they didn't need them anymore!" the Doctor said defensively. "I wanted something to remember the trip by! And besides, you never know when you'll need a good spacesuit."

Rose flinched as the cold water made it past her waist. "Ugh. I wish we had real wetsuits, or that these at least were more waterproof or heated or something. I'm FREEZING."

"Here, try this." The Doctor reached over and pressed a button near Rose's shoulder. Her legs instantly began to feel warmer. She turned, open mouthed, to the Doctor. He grinned. "River modified them especially for our trip."

Rose frowned. "Of course," she said, her voice flat. "Good old River."

The Doctor glanced at her; they were now completely under water. "What's that supposed to mean?"

Rose struggled to find the words. "It's just … You two seem, I dunno, close?"

The Doctor frowned now. "Not exactly. _She's_ very close with _me_, but I hardly know her. I've only met her once."

Rose's jealousy was quickly taking control over her mouth. "And what happened that time, Doctor? She's so smart and brilliant and funny. Why did you never mention her?"

The Doctor's eyes suddenly became dark. Rose had seen them look this way before; they were the eyes of someone who had seen too much, lived far too long. She hardly ever saw these eyes anymore; her Doctor had all the memories of the original, but he was new to life. He hardly dwelled on the past. Seeing these eyes now, Rose knew she had gone too far.

"Doctor? Oh, Doctor, I'm sorry I – "

She was suddenly cut off as her body was dragged downwards.

"Rose?" the Doctor cried, looking down. Rose was still sinking further and further down. No, not sinking, he saw now, but being pulled by a white gloved hand. _The astronaut._

"DOCTOR!" Rose yelled, struggling and trying to break the spaceman's strong grip.

The Doctor swam down and grasped one of Rose's hands. Together they pulled and pushed, but the astronaut was simply too strong. Rose was stuck.

Rose was about to tell the Doctor to let her go and get help from the others when the spaceman suddenly let go. It pushed Rose away, forcing a loud "Ooof!" out of her as she whooshed even deeper under the surface.

The Doctor reached her in a few seconds and slowly helped her swim closer to the surface. "You alright?" he asked.

"Yeah," she huffed, trying to regain her breath. "That was scary."

The Doctor watched Rose as she slowly recovered, then, out of the blue, he said, "I saw her die."

Rose looked up at him. "I'm sorry?"

"River. She died." He sighed. "The first time I met River Song was her last time meeting me. She died … to save my life. And I had barely even learned her name."

Rose gaped. "Oh. Doctor, I'm so sorry. If I'd known I wouldn't have -"

"I know," the Doctor smiled weakly. He then shook his head, clearing the thoughts from his mind. "Anyway, that's not important right now. Are you sure you're okay?"

"Yes," smiled Rose. "God, that thing is strong, though! I thought for a second it - " Rose suddenly broke off. "Doctor … Where did it go?"

The pair spun around, but the astronaut was no longer in sight. It had simply vanished from their view. Which could only mean one thing …

"It's gone to the surface, up to the beach," whispered the Doctor. "We're going to be too late."

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><p><strong>I generally try to be a speedy updater, but it may be a few days before I can get the next chapter written as I'll be taking a course most of this week. I have the entire thing planned out in my head, it's just the actual typing portion I need to accomplish. So please, hang in there!<strong>

**Fun Fact: Just a few days ago I FINALLY started watching Torchwood (and it is FABULOUS). Hopefully I can use my knowledge of the show to further explore Captain Jack's character as the story progresses.**

**I've been keeping track of how many reviews and alerts and favorites this story has gotten so far and the numbers are STAGGERING. Thank you all SO MUCH!**

**Thanks for bearing with me and PLEEEEEEEEASE REVIEW! I absolutely live off reviews!**


	8. Chapter 8

**I'VE BEEN AWAY SO LONG!**

**I honestly don't know what happened. I had a busy week with no time to write, and then the next time I sat down ... POOF. I had no idea where everything was leading. I had completely lost my groove and couldn't make myself type. Not to worry, though - I've gotten everything back under control. So, if I'm lucky enough to have anyone out there who is still interested in this story after my weeks away, I consider myself to be very blessed.**

**You've waited long enough, so here's the next chapter!**

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><p><strong>CHAPTER EIGHT<strong>

The Doctor and Rose swam frantically back towards the surface. They were nearing a state of panic; they had promised to help Amy and the others, but situation was looking grim. It wasn't everyday that you held the life of a person who was both yourself and somehow not you at all in your hands, and the Doctor was determined not to let anything go wrong the first time he tried it.

Meters above them, a figure slowly began to materialize as they swam; it was the dark silhouette of the astronaut, only now he was so near the surface that he appeared to simply be walking out of the water – he no longer had to swim.

"We're not going to be close enough! It's too late!" Rose gasped, fearing their plan to be hopeless.

"Not yet, it isn't!" the Doctor shouted back. "Something has to happen, though. Something I vowed I wouldn't let happen." He sighed as he pulled a gun from his pocket. He turned back to face Rose, a sad smile on his face as he realized what had to happen next. "Rose Tyler, we may still have one more trick up our sleeve."

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><p>Amy and Rory peered out from behind their rock and watched the scene unfold.<p>

"Oh my god," breathed Amy, her breath becoming shallow and hurried. Further out on the beach, the other Amy, Rory, River and Doctor were staring at the figure in the water. "They've already seen him; the astronaut." Her voice raised an octave and she turned to Rory. "We can't interfere, now! We'd be seen! We'd cross our own timelines and – and – " Her breathing became more rapid as she came to terms with the fact that she may very well lose her Doctor today for a second time.

Rory pulled her into a hug to shield her from what was to surely happen, but Amy twisted around in his arms until she had a clear viewpoint. It was going to be horrible to watch, but she couldn't let herself miss this moment. She just couldn't.

* * *

><p>The Doctor whose life hung in the balance stood on the beach and waited. He knew the end was near – he had known for ages. He knew he was supposed to be afraid at this moment, the moment when his life would abruptly draw to a close, (in front of his closest friends, no less,) but somehow he felt strangely … calm. The only unpleasant twinge he felt anywhere was the nagging guilt that Amy, River and Rory had to do what came after.<p>

"You need to stay back," he said, trying to keep his voice level as he watched his reflection in the astronaut's helmet mouth the words back at him. "Whatever happens now, you do not interfere." He couldn't bear the thought that something might happen to any of these wonderful humans if they stepped in and tried to save him. Part of him knew, though, that they wouldn't want to stand idly by. He turned, making sure all of their eyes were locked on his face before asking, "Clear?" Hopefully that would be enough to keep them out of trouble. He turned back to the water, ready to face fate.

"Wha - ?" he gasped when he turned around.

The figure on the beach had vanished.

The Doctor blinked and took a step forward, his eyes madly searching the water before him for any sign of the astronaut. They found nothing.

"What just happened?" Amy's voice came from behind him. "Doctor? Who was that? Where did he go?"

The Doctor's face slipped slowly into a smile. "Amelia Pond," he said softly, turning to face his friends, "I have absolutely _no_ idea." This was the absolute truth, and though the Doctor had a nagging feeling that merely taking a few steps closer to where the spaceman had previously stood could answer all his questions, he made no effort to. For now, what had saved his life was meant to remain a mystery, but maybe one day he would find out the truth. He walked past his friends, turning to say "Let's get out of here," and strode back to his TARDIS without another glance.

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><p>"What just happened?"<p>

Rory and Amy had watched the whole scene unfold from behind their rock. Rory had locked his eyes on the astronaut, staring with such intensity that his eyes burned, when the astronaut simply faded from few, as if dissolving into the surrounding environment. Had he blinked he surely would have missed it.

"I don't know," she whispered back, watching her past self trudge up a sandy dune before disappearing from view. _I really should start wearing something other than plaid_, she though. _Oh, hello, inappropriate thought at important moment_. "Rory, I honestly don't know."

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><p>"What just happened?" Rose whispered to the Doctor from just behind the astronaut's back. The second she and the Doctor had hit the surface she had caught a glimpse of the new Doctor and past Amy, Rory and River before they faded right in front of her. "Doctor?" she whispered again.<p>

"Not just now, Rose," the Doctor whispered back, his eyes never leaving the astronaut. It had stopped just as they appeared – Rose assumed this was because he, too, could no longer see the group on the beach.

"We have to act now, Rose, before he realizes we're here" the Doctor said. He raised his gun, and turned to catch Rose's eye. "Ready?"

Rose pulled out a gun of her own and took aim. She smiled weakly and replied, "Always."

The Doctor nodded and turned back to the astronaut. "On three, then. One ." He took a deep breath. "Two." He put his finger over the trigger. "THREE!"

Rose and the Doctor's guns simultaneously went off.

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><p>River and Jack watched the scene unfold from inside the TARDIS.<p>

"I can't believe it came to this," said Jack. "I can't believe he actually let this happen."

River smiled slightly. "He was desperate. You know how he gets." She glanced at the screen again and saw Rose and the Doctor struggling to drag the astronaut up to the TARDIS. "Here we are, then," she murmured, walking to the door to give them a hand.

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><p>The TARDIS materialized in front of Amy and Rory with its traditionally whooshing sound. They climbed inside, unsure of what to expect. What they saw didn't disappoint.<p>

On the TARDIS floor was the astronaut. He was very much alive, writhing and struggling inside what looked like a body bag, but seemed to be made with rope. Some kind of net, perhaps? A few feet away lay two shiny guns, discarded on the floor.

Amy stormed over to the Doctor. "Will someone PLEASE tell me what just happened?"

The Doctor grinned. "Amy, can't you even do one thing right? I told you to sit and watch the festivities. You couldn't even do that?"

Rory, seeing Amy's temper in danger of flaring up again, quickly said, "We watched, we just don't understand. How did you make the astronaut vanish like that?"

The Doctor gestured around the room. "You're looking at it now."

Rory blinked. "I don't understand."

"The TARDIS," explained Jack, joining the conversation. "The Doctor had to let River fly it."

"Ughhh," the Doctor grunted in disgust.

"River flew and parked her right between the astronaut and the Doctor with the cloaking device on," Jack continued.

"The cloak doesn't actually make the TARDIS invisible," the Doctor explained. "It acts more like a chameleon, blending into its surroundings. When parked in front of the water, the group on the beach simply saw more water, not what, or who, was actually behind the ship."

"And that's why _we_ couldn't see the group on the beach," Rose clued in.

The Doctor smiled. "Exactly."

"But the TARDIS is a noisy ship," insisted Rory. "It makes that noise when it flies. We heard it just a minute ago when you picked us up!"

"Not when _River _flies," Amy remembered, smiling slightly.

The Doctor frowned as River flashed him a triumphant grin. "Stupid parking brake …" he muttered. Rose stifled a giggle.

"What I really want to know," said Amy, crossing closer to the astronaut, "is what happened HERE. With this guy. How isn't he dead if you used those?" She gestured to the weapons on the floor.

River walked over and picked the guns up, meeting Amy's eyes. "Net guns," she explained, waving them carelessly in front of their faces. "Jack modified them for the Doctor and Rose, knowing the Doctor wouldn't want this guy dead. He still hated them, of course," she teased, turning to the Doctor.

"I really just don't like guns," he said flatly. With that, he strode over to the astronaut with Rose and they dragged him off to a back room of the TARDIS as a prisoner.

Rory was still slightly overwhelmed by the whole situation. Because of this, he was grateful for a distraction when Amy's phone rang. He had been keeping it in his pocket throughout this ordeal just in case they needed it. Not wanting to disrupt the others, he stepped away from the others, closer to the door, to answer it. "Hello?"

_"Rory? Rory the Roman, is that you?"_

"Doctor?" Rory gasped slightly. The Doctor couldn't know something was up. It was crucial that Rory acted normal now. Completely normal. "Oh, I – I, um … hi," said Rory. Well. There went normal.

_"Um, hello,"_ said the Doctor, moving past Rory's blunder. _"Listen, I know I left you all at Demons' Run a few hours ago, but I promise you I will be back to pick you up soon. Just … hang tight."_

Demons' Run! The Doctor didn't know they'd left there ages ago. "Sure, okay, Doctor," said Rory. He suddenly remembered why the Doctor had gone. "Melody! Have you found Melody yet?"

There was a brief pause from the other side of the line. _"Well, I'm working on it,"_ the Doctor finally replied. _"I hit a brief snag. Somehow I ended up in World War II? There was plenty of confusion, and this whole thing with Hitler, but I'm fine. Then I ended up in the year 5 000 000 000, then 1969 for a second, but I think I'm back on the trail again now."_

"Oh. That's good, then," said Rory. 1969. They had seen the astronaut that year. Rory would have to tell the Doctor to leave him there after they were done with their questioning, to preserve the laws of space-time or whatever. None of that made any sense to him, but the Doctor ensured him that it was all important, so …

_"Anyway, I'll be back in a bit,"_ the Doctor finished. _"Won't take long. Nearly finished."_

A long, guttural scream suddenly filled the air, causing Rose, who had at this point returned, to jump and shout "WHAT WAS THAT?"

Rory cringed. Had the Doctor heard that? The scream or, even worse, Rose's voice? He hoped not. He listened for anything on the other line, praying the Doctor had been rambling and hadn't heard anything. Instead there was nothing but horrible silence, then a quiet, _"Rory? Is someone else there with you lot?"_

"Um, no! No," Rory said quickly. "Um ... I have to go. Bye." He hung up and ran back to the control panel as the Doctor sprinted off to the next room. "What's happened?" he asked. The others' expressions were grim. It was then Rory realized one of them was missing. "Where's Amy?"

There was momentary silence before River spoke up. "My blaster is missing," she whispered, "and so is Amy." She reluctantly met Rory's confused eyes. "Rory … we think she may have killed the astronaut."

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><p><strong>I fondly refer to this chapter as "WHAT JUST HAPPENED?" for obvious reasons ;)<strong>

**I hope the jumping around between characters' perspectives wasn't too confusing. It was my only fear with this chapter.**

**One thing that hasn't changed with time is my hunger for reviews. In fact, they often speed up my writing process because I am encouraged to work off what others have told me, so PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE send one my way if you can!**

**Thank you for still reading, and I shall attempt to update soon! (At the very least at a quicker rate than this chapter took!)**


	9. Chapter 9

**CHAPTER NINE**

_A few moments before …_

A scowl was forming on Amy's place before Rose and the Doctor had even returned from securing the astronaut in his temporary prison. This entire situation was once again beginning to catch up with her. Amy wasn't, by nature, a violent person; she hated death, hated seeing someone's life being stolen from their before their time.

But this spaceman had stolen her Doctor's life. Or at least tried to. And now he had to pay the price.

Amy was thankful when Rory stepped away from her to answer the cell phone. She had to act quickly, before the others could figure out what she was up to. Talking quick strides over to the others, she reached casually for River's blaster. River caught her eye just as the gun touched her fingers. Amy just smiled and said, "Sorry. I was just curious. Do you mind if I look for a second?"

Under normal circumstances, River would have been more cautious upon hearing this strange request. At the moment, though, she was in a deep argument with the Doctor over the proper speed the TARDIS should be traveling in order to achieve a perfect landing and was on the verge of winning, so she simply said, "Sure, just be careful," and turned back.

Amy held the blaster in her hands, turning it over a few times, taking it in from every angle. She glanced up and, seeing that no one was watching her at this moment, slipped out of the control room and into the room that held astronaut's holding pen, a temporary prison made of spare hunks of metal and TARDIS machinery.

The room the astronaut was held in was very warm. Amy was surprised to see the spaceman hadn't removed any parts of its suit. Surely the gloves and helmet would be holding in the heat? Perhaps they had some sort of cooling mechanism as well. Whatever the reason for this full state of dress, Amy was displeased. She wanted to see into the eyes of this potential killer, wanted to have a complete emotional link when she did what came next. "Take off your helmet," she whispered.

The astronaut raised its head in her direction. Amy wondered if it had even heard her instruction as it kept its helmet on and simply stared at her through the tinted glass. At least, Amy _assumed_ it was staring at her; it was impossible to tell. Amy was about to repeat her instructions more forcefully when white-clothed arms suddenly reached up and completed her request, removing the helmet from the astronaut's head and setting it on the floor.

The astronaut, as Amy had expected, wasn't really an astronaut at all; the face of a young girl looked back at her now the helmet was out of the equation. The girl's expression was blank, but her eyes were dark and somewhat fearful. There was something else about her eyes, something Amy couldn't quite place, but she brushed the feeling of discomfort that came with that realization aside. Amy had seen this face before, back in 1969. The last time she saw that face her shot had missed; that wouldn't happen again.

"You were going to kill the Doctor," Amy whispered slowly, her eyes boring into those of the child. "I need to know why."

The girl merely blinked, her expression unwavering.

"Who are you?" Amy tried. "Why did you want the Doctor dead?"

The child said nothing. She closed her eyes, breaking the connection Amy so desired.

"Look at me," Amy snarled, most displeased. The child made no move to comply. "Open your eyes," Amy whispered in the darkest tone she could manage. Nothing.

Something inside Amy snapped and the rush of feelings she had been trying to suppress since that first fateful day on the beach came flying to the surface - the fear she had felt that she would never see her Doctor again, never hear his laugh or walk in on him awkwardly stroking the TARDIS as if it were a lover. The pain that she would have to live without him, never again to travel the stars or save the helpless. Mostly, Amy felt anger, anger that one person could destroy her entire world in seconds, destroy her world with two little bullets and just slip away with no repercussions. Her anger came out in the form of a scream, a long, anguished scream of fury and ache and desperation that rang out louder and clearer than she could have imagined she was capable of.

Amy raised the blaster and took aim. The others, she knew, would disapprove of what was about to happen here. _She was only a child_, they would say to her. _Her life was just beginning._

_Maybe_, Amy would reply, _but that's no excuse for bringing someone else's to an end._

She took a deep breath, placed her finger over the trigger and –

Amy suddenly found herself on the floor. She felt a heavy weight on her back, pinning her down, and craned her neck to find the Doctor sitting on her back. She saw his hand was now clasped firmly on the blaster, but what she noticed most was his eyes; she stared into those soulful eyes and saw only one emotion leaking through – disappointment. Disappointment in her.

"Amelia Pond," he sighed, "I really thought you were better than this."

The Doctor climbed off Amy's back in silence just as Rory and the others burst through the door. Rory's eyes fell immediately on Amy; she didn't look angry or upset as he had been expecting. She looked almost like she was waking up from a bad dream, as if she couldn't quite remember what had been happening moments before. He ran to her side and extended a hand to help her up, but she pushed it away. Maybe it was for the best. Rory sunk down to the floor with her.

"Amy, what were you thinking?" he asked his wife, struggling to understand where this sudden fury had come from.

Amy's eyes filled with tears as she turned to him and said, "I don't know." She broke into tears and held her head between her hands, the sobs forcing their way out of her body and causing her to shake.

Rose, River and Jack slipped in through the open door and stood by the Doctor. Their eyes landed first on the figure of the child, standing solemnly inside her makeshift cage.

"You're going to have to talk to her," Jack said.

"I know," replied the Doctor.

"Doctor, if she had gotten away with this it could have destroyed the universe," said River. "Do what you have to, but don't be too hard on her – that's a lot to live with."

The Doctor said nothing and stared off into space. Rose could tell this was going about to turn into a non-stop brood fest. She took the Doctor's hand and turned to the other two. "Seriously though, guys – who in this room HASN'T nearly done that at least once?"

This coaxed a quiet laugh out of Jack and even a small grin out of the Doctor. Rose knew she had served her purpose – brood fest prevented, or at least postponed for the time being. She watched as the Doctor strode slowly over to where Amy was huddled on the floor.

Upon reaching her, he sat down slowly. Rory shot him a glare, a territorial glare that seemed to say _"You rail on my wife and I'll rail on __you__."_ The Doctor tilted his head slightly and Rory, sensing a screaming fit wasn't about to follow, eased back.

"Amy," the Doctor began quietly, "what you did here today nearly destroyed the universe." Her eyes slowly eased up and met his. Knowing she was listening, the Doctor continued. "By saving my life we've already significantly altered the future, as well as moments of your past. Our every move at this point has to be precise or everything that happened to you up until this point won't have happened and we'll have caused more trouble than this was worth."

Amy nodded, her eyes falling back to the floor. The Doctor didn't know what to say at this point and was thinking about standing up and considering the lecture to be over when Amy said, "Who is she?"

The Doctor's eyes flitted to the child in the spacesuit before returning to Amy's face. "A child," he sighed. "An innocent child."

Rory spoke up now. "Innocent? She tried to kill you."

The Doctor shook his head. "Not her," he said, standing and crossing to the cage. "The suit."

"Sorry?" Rory said. "The spacesuit tried to kill you?"

The Doctor nodded, staring sadly in at the imprisoned girl. "It's more like a robot than a space suit, if I'm not mistaken. Essentially a long distance remote control toy." He turned back to Rory. "Someone out there tried to kill the Doctor today, tried to kill me, but it wasn't this girl."

Amy's eyes widened. Not only had she nearly shot a child, she'd nearly shot an innocent one. "Why is she here, then? The girl?"

"Fuel," the Doctor said. "Power."

Something in Rory's head clicked. "Oh my god. Her body is what fuels the suit, what gives it the power to function. Her energy, her life." He frowned. "So who DID try to kill you?"

The Doctor shrugged. "I don't know. That's not really important."

"But why choose her? She's only a child."

Rose walked slowly over to the cage, standing by the Doctor. Her sad eyes stared into the child's as she said, softly, "Because it's always the children."

Silence fell over the group. So this was the kind of world they lived in. A world where children were used as weapons, problems were solved with guns and wonderful, wonderful men were killed before their time.

It was then that Amy placed the mystery emotion in the child's eyes – exhaustion.

Amy stood and crossed to the Doctor. "It's draining the life out of her," she realized. "It's killing her. Slowly."

The Doctor was silent. Finally, he replied with a single heartbroken, "Yes."

Amy watched the girl in the cage. She wasn't moving – the suit must not have been receiving any orders to fulfill. "We can help her, can't we?" she asked. "We can free her. We can give her peace, set her free." The Doctor's expression of dread didn't fade. Amy's stomach sank. "Doctor?"

It was River who stepped forward, having to explain. "We saw the astronaut after the beach," she said, "in 1969." Silent tears began to slip down her face. "It's like the Doctor said. We can't disrupt our timeline any further or disastrous things will happen." She held back a sob and continued. "Our Doctor will know that our whole adventure with the Silence and NASA still needs to happen, and he'll find a way to ensure we still end up traveling back in time as we were originally instructed. When we do … the astronaut needs to be there."

Amy couldn't grasp what River was insinuating. "So you're saying … we can't help her. We need to just drop her off in 1969 and leave her to die? A prisoner?" She couldn't believe what she was hearing.

The Doctor turned to Amy for the first time in what felt like ages. "One child to save the world," he mused. Amy's heart felt like it was breaking as she watched the Doctor's eyes fill with tears. He opened and closed his mouth a few times before finally choking out, "Maybe we should have let me die."

No one said a word or raised an objection. The room was dead quiet; no one even had it in them to sob. It was because of this silence that everyone was able to hear the voice of the child when she opened her mouth and whispered a cry Amy had heard months before and hadn't understood:

_"Help me …"_

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><p><strong>This is quite possibly the most depressing thing I have ever written in all my life. Wow.<br>I'm not completely heartless, though. Things may still turn out for the best. Maybe. You never can know with Doctor Who, after all. ;)**

**Thank you for all the reviews, alerts and favorites I've recieved! Much love to all of you!**

**I think this is the chapter I've most desperately craved reviews for - this is different from everything I've ever written and I would REALLY REALLY REALLY love to hear your opinions on it, good or bad. Could you do that for me? One tiny review? ;)**

**We're nearing the end of the story now - I have one more chapter in mind, as well as an epilouge. Thanks for being such wonderful readers and stay tuned for updates!**


	10. Chapter 10

**CHAPTER TEN**

It was a somber moment for everyone when the TARDIS parked in 1969. It was ultimately Captain Jack and the Doctor who led the child out of the ship, wordlessly deciding it was a job for the men. They didn't ask Rory to help them; he looked as if he was on the verge of tears himself and Amy hardly seemed fit to be left on her own.

Jack was surprised he was so shaken by this moment; he had seen some awful things over the years, both while working at Torchwood and during his time with the Doctor. Many of these things had involved children being lost or beyond help. Never before, though, had Jack been so directly involved; this time he wasn't just letting a child be hurt, he was going out of his way not to help her. It was simply maddening.

Once the child was out of the ship, the men retreated as quickly as possible, not wanting to face what had to be done any longer than they had to. Jack climbed back into the TARDIS; the Doctor began to follow, but stopped just as he reached the doors. He turned back and saw the child's face peering out at him through the helmet. "I'm sorry," the Doctor whispered softly. "I'm so sorry."

He was just about to climb inside when a reddish blur rushed past him – Amy had sprinted out of the TARDIS and was rushing right to the child. The Doctor quickly caught her arm and began to pull her back to the ship. "NO!" she screamed, thrashing helplessly in his grip. "WE CAN'T! NO!"

"We have to," the Doctor said in reply. He pulled Amy into the ship and shut the doors before she had a chance to escape again.

Amy sunk to the floor, sobbing again, as the TARDIS took off. Why did the world suddenly have to be this way? When she began traveling with the Doctor many months before, he had promised her new worlds, amazing species and wonders of every kind. Now here she was, back on planet Earth, essentially sentencing an innocent child to death. When did this become her life? When had everything changed?

Across the TARDIS, Rose was feeling the same way. She, too, was upset with her involvement in this whole scenario, but was in fact even more worried about the Doctor. This had been their first big adventure since they were sealed off in Pete's Universe; without a TARDIS of their own, they had been working to save the world one small step at a time; fixing a crash-landed Martian ship one week, seeking out a nest of Hergorphians the next. This had been their chance to get back in the game and really shake things up; Rose had been worried that they would fail. Now she was certain their success was a far worse fate. The Doctor had always loved children, and now this had happened. He would never be the same, Rose realized. Her Doctor was changing.

She had to do something to stop it.

Rose glanced sadly around the TARDIS when her eyes fell on Amy's sobbing figure. Even Rory was keeping his distance from her at this point; Rose wondered if she was a violent crier.

Suddenly something in Rose's head clicked; a plan fell into place and demanded her attention. Was it a good plan? Not at all. Would it work? Probably not. But it was worth a try; it was worth it to try to save a child and, in the process, the man she loved.

Rose casually strolled over to Amy and knelt down beside her, as if to comfort her. Amy looked up, expected some form of comfort or reassurance they had done the right thing. What she heard instead was an urgent whisper in her ear saying, "Play along, okay?" Amy turned, confused.

Rose leaned away from her and said, a little louder than necessary, "Oi! Amy, where is that cute little purse you were showing me earlier?"

Amy blinked. What on Earth was Rose talking about? She saw the others were watching them now, and remembered Rose's instructions. She went along with Rose's acting, despite not understanding where this plan was going, and replied, "Gosh, Rose, I'm really not sure."

An expression of fake terror appeared on Rose's face. "Oh no, Amy! Surely you didn't leave it back in 1969?" She winked at Amy, and suddenly her plan became crystal clear. Amy worked to keep a smile from her face.

"Oh goodness, Rose!" Amy cried in mock desperation. "I think I DID!" She jumped up and crossed to the Doctor, who was watching their whole display with cautious eyes. "Doctor, we have to go back! I left my purse back in time when I ran out of the TARDIS!"

Jack blinked, confused. "You brought your purse with you when you chased after the little girl?"

Rose nodded solemnly, coming up behind Amy. "A woman never goes anywhere without her accessories."

Jack was still mystified. "Well, couldn't you just get a new one?"

Rose shook her head. "It's not that simple, Captain. You see, Amy's cell phone was in that purse. If someone finds, this strange technology from the future, we could disrupt all of space time!" Rose patted herself on the back for her quick thinking; that was a brilliant lie.

Rory still didn't understand what was happening. "But, Amy, your phone isn't in your purse. It's ri – " Rory suddenly got the full effect of Amy's icy glare in his direction. He closed his mouth and pretended not to have said anything, returning Amy's phone to his pocket.

Amy was nearly convinced this plan was going to work; Jack was finally keeping quiet, seemingly convinced. It was when she turned to the Doctor that she knew they weren't in the clear, yet. His eyes were locked on Rose, wordless spewing questions.

"We can't go back," he said slowly. "We dropped the child off mere moments before your past selves were supposed to run into her. If we go back, there's a chance they'll see you." The challenge in his words was clear, but Rose wasn't backing down yet.

"Well then, Doctor," she said, smiling slowly, "I suppose you'll just have to drop us off a week or so after they've seen her. We'll just have to hope Amy's purse is still there and the world hasn't yet been thrown into complete chaos."

The Doctor wasn't stupid; he knew what Rose was trying to do. He knew Amy hadn't boarded the TARDIS with a purse and he knew this was all an elaborate ploy to save the day. Despite all of this, he simply made eye contact with Rose, gave a exaggerated shrug and said, "Alright." If he believed in anything at all in this universe, that thing was Rose Tyler; he may as well see what she had planned.

River and the Doctor returned the TARDIS to 1969. Rose grabbed Amy's hand and pulled her toward the doors. "I'll just go with her to find it," she said, sticking to her phony purse story. "Two sets of eyes are better than one, right?"

The Doctor raised an eyebrow at her. "Just be careful, okay? And Rose? " he said as she and Amy had one foot out the door. He made sure he had their attention before saying, "When you find the child, make sure no one else sees you."

Rose grinned. "Yes, sir!" she said, and then she and Amy hopped out of the ship.

As promised, the Doctor had dropped them off one week after their previous visit in the same darkened building. Rose and Amy were in luck; their search for the child was very brief as she was only in the next room over. Remembering the Doctor's warning, the girls waited a few moments before barging in, ensuring the girl was alone.

"So what do we do now?" asked Amy. Sure, they had found the girl, but they had no way of actually helping her at this point. "There's no way we can take her back to the TARDIS. How do we help her?"

Rose grinned and pulled a large set of shears off a nearby table. "Snip, snip," she said, passing them to Amy and grabbing another pair strategically located nearby.

The women worked together then, carefully using the shears to cut through the thick material of the space suit and clipping the wires spread throughout. It wasn't easy and took them a good twenty minutes before they finally reached the child hidden deep inside.

Rose made one final cut as Amy pulled the fabric and wires back far enough for the girl to fit through. She was so weak at this point that Rose had to help pull her out through the opening. The girl certainly wasn't in very good shape – she was deadly thin and has lesions all over her body from the electronics fusing her to the suit. She was, however, alive and, for the first time, not a prisoner. The small smile that spread over her face when she realized she was free at last warmed Amy and Rose's heart. It was in that moment Rose and Amy realized how truly alike they were, how both of them would fight this hard just to see the tentative grin of a little girl.

Rose knelt down to the girl's eye level. "This is all Amy and I can do for you, now," she told the child. "You're free now, but that means you're going to have to take care of yourself." She pointed towards a large door in the back of the room. "Take that exit and walk to the street – following it should lead you to a town where you can get some help."

The girl nodded and, in the most serious tone Rose had ever heard from a child that young, said two words; "Thank you."

Rose stood up and stepped back with Amy. They watched together as the girl set off, slowly at first as she got used to using her own legs, then quickly as she mastered the art of self transport. The door slammed shut as she made her escape to the outside world, and a strange sense of calm settled over Amy.

"The suit!" she suddenly remembered. She turned the Rose, her eyes shining. "After we saw the astronaut before, we found an empty space suit that looked like someone had busted out of it." She gestured to the suit, now lying empty on the floor, and couldn't stop the grim that spread across her pale face as she realized they had inadvertently helped the universe right itself even further.

Rose smiled, too. "We make a good team, Pond," she said, grabbing Amy's hand and leading her back to the TARDIS.

"Yeah," agreed Amy. "I guess we do."

They walked back into the first room and saw that all of their friends were waiting for them just outside the ship's doors. All of them wore identically expressions of joy, but there was one Amy saw shining brighter than all the others; the Doctor had a grin so large plastered on his face that Amy was surprised there was any room left for his other features. His eyes, he saw, were firmly locked on Rose, the wonder shining out of them brighter than anything she had ever seen. Amy's eyes flicked to Rose, who was beaming right back, and suddenly something was absolutely clear to her. The hand holding. The long, lingering hugs. The secretive smiles she had caught passing between them.

"You're together," she said aloud.

Rose turned her face to Amy's, cautiously. She had no idea at this point how Amy would react to that news. To her surprise, Amy seemed almost … happy. "Yes," she replied, a smile returning to her face. "We are."

A few hours ago this would have shaken Amy more than she could handle. Now she couldn't shake how perfect the whole arrangement was from her head; she couldn't picture this Doctor with anybody else. It just seemed wrong. "Well, Rose Tyler, you're a lucky girl. You have the greatest man in the world." She smiled warmly at her new friend.

Rose was ecstatic. "Thank you," she said sincerely. Her eyes darted in the direction of the TARDIS before once again settling on Amy. "Although I must say, your little Roman friend is a pretty close second."

Amy glanced back at the ship, too, and saw Rory's eyes carefully watching her. "Did I say you have the best man in the universe?" she asked. "I take it back – YOU have the second best."

Rose laughed at that as the girls rejoined the group. "I'm glad we're finally friends, Amy."

"Me too," agreed Amy. "I remember when I first met you, all I could think was - " Amy suddenly broke off. "I thought … I mean, the first thing I noticed was … I …" She turned to the Rory, confused. "I can't remember what I thought."

Rory looked at her incredulously. "Amy! Really? You couldn't stop going on about … about …" Rory broke off too, his face filling with confusion. "I can't remember either." He turned to the Doctor, looking for answers. "Why can't I remember?"

The Doctor smiled sadly. "The universe is righting itself, Rory," he explained, putting his hand on River's shoulder and addressing the group. "I'm sorry, everyone," he said, "but in about ten minutes none of us are going to remember anything."

* * *

><p><strong>I guess I lied to you all last time; I <em>was<em> convinced this was going to be the last chapter, but I wrote and wrote and _somehow_ the story isn't over yet! This means there's going to be at least one more chapter before the epilouge. Yay!**

**Q&A Time:  
>I got a question in the reviews on the last chapter from Tuppence asking if I intented for the astronaut to be River Song. My answer would have to be no; I think that <span>is<span> what is probably going to happen on the show when it returns in a few months, but it just wasn't how I saw this story ending. I think having some random, innocent child being forced to kill worked better in this case; we all know how 10 feels about innocents being harmed. It just seemed to fit better.  
>Thanks so much for your question and review! :)<strong>

**This chapter was super plot based and was intended to wrap up some previous plot points. Next chapter I am hoping to get back to writing character relationships and having more emotional moments - this is my favorite thing to write. The story is drawing to a close and I still have some cute moments in mind, so I, for one, am excited.**

**Thanks so much for reading, everyone! I send you all virtual hi-fives.**

**(And I know I say this every chapter, but ... reviews? Pwease?)**


	11. Chapter 11

**CHAPTER ELEVEN**

River blinked. "What are you talking about, Doctor? We're not going to remember … anything? Anything that happened today?"

The Doctor shook his head. "By saving my life this afternoon, we have created the paradox of all paradoxes." He stopped. "'Paradoxes', is that the word? 'Paradoxi'? 'Paradoxies'? … I think it's 'paradoxes', but I can't be sure because once on the desert moon Calliope I was -"

"Doctor?" Rose pulled the Doctor's attention back to the matter at hand.

"Right. Sorry." The Doctor blinked. "Anyway. You all universe jumped and traveled back in time to save my life today because you saw me die. Now that we've altered the past, though, you DIDN'T see me die. I'm still alive. Therefore, you DIDN'T do any of those things you did today because you had no reason to - I didn't die. But because you DIDN'T universe jump and time travel then you DIDN'T save me on the beach, so I DID die, which means … paradox," the Doctor finally finished, making a popping sound with his lips around the 'p'.

"Because this situation is entirely impossible, the universe is trying to work around it," Jack realized. "It's making us forget what happened so that it's as if it didn't at all."

"Exactly," exclaimed the Doctor. "The universe. Brilliant. You know how time and space is – wibbly-wobbly, timey-wimey …" This remark was greeted by blank expressions. "Hmmmp," muttered the Doctor. "Martha would have gotten that. I miss Martha."

Amy was terribly confused by the whole situation. "So _did_ we save your life today or not?" she asked. Had all of their efforts been for nothing after all?

The Doctor, however, smiled and nodded. "The Doctor is alive, Amy. You just won't remember it was you who saved him. His rescue is going to be one of those peculiar little things that no one will ever be able to explain, something impossible." He laughed suddenly. "Oh, that is going to drive the other me MAD when he can't figure it out!"

Amy's eyes began to fill with tears. "But we CAN'T forget!" she cried. "I won't forget! I won't let it happen!"

The Doctor watched her solemnly. "You can't prevent it, Amy. It's happening. To all of us."

Amy shook her head angrily. She stormed up to the Time Lord and pointed a finger menacingly at his chest. "Now you listen to me, Spaceboy," Amy growled. "The Doctor once told me that anything could be remembered if you tried hard enough, that _anything_ could be brought back." The tears that had been building up in her eyes began to fall freely down her face, but she made no move to wipe them away. "I've seen a lot of crazy things in my lifetime," Amy continued. "I've seen whales that live in space, babies that turn into jelly and bloody Daleks wearing _aprons_. I've looked a Weeping Angel in the eye, fought a monster with Vincent Van Gogh and seen this MORON," she said, waving an arm in Rory's general direction, "die more times than I can count! And I remember it," she whispered, a small grin forming on her face. "I remember it all. I remember all these amazing things I've done … and I'm going to remember this one. Because this, Doctor, saving your life, is the most important thing I've ever done, probably the most important thing I'll _ever_ do." Her smile grew even wider. "And it is going to take a hell of a lot more than the entire universe working against me to make me forget it."

The Doctor had stood, motionless, his eyes locked on Amy's face throughout her entire monologue, a serious expression on his face and his eyes dark. Now she had finished, however, something in it changed. A look that almost seemed amused played across his features as the Doctor opened his mouth. "Well, Amelia Pond," he said, a smile finally breaking across his face as well, "I can see why I must like you."

Amy laughed as the Doctor pulled her into a hug. She looked around the TARDIS, trying to memorize every detail, taking in everything she wanted to remember.

She locked eyes with Jack, the mysterious Captain of things unbeknownst to her. She didn't really know much about him, she realized, but she knew enough; she knew he was a hero, that he had saved everyone in the TARDIS earlier in the day. She knew he was a shameless flirt with an excellent sense of humor and a smile that made her a little weak in the knees, even with Rory standing right next to her.

Her eyes traveled next to Rose, the made-up bottle blonde from London who lived in a house with a nine-hundred year old former time-traveling alien. She remembered Rose's laugh, how kindly she had treated Rory despite everything that had happened and the calming effect her words seemed to have on everyone in times of peril. Most importantly, Amy vowed to remember the look in Rose's eyes when she looked at the man she loved, the look full of trust and devotion and even happiness, no matter what type of situation they found themselves in. It was a look that said, _as long as I have the Doctor, everything will be alright. Everything._

Amy's eyes finally traveled back to the wonderful man who held her in his arms. He definitely wasn't her Doctor, the silly bow-tied man she had worked so hard to save, but she realized now that he was equally as amazing. As the Doctor released Amy from his affectionate hug, she met his eyes and said, "All right, Doctor; time to go home."

* * *

><p>Captain Jack was the first one to be returned. Before he climbed out of the TARDIS, he pulled Amy aside. "So you say you have a decent memory," he said, smiling his toothy grin. "Remember this for me, then – I'm always here if you, Rory or the Doctor need a hand. Don't be afraid to call."<p>

Amy returned his smile. "I'm sure the Doctor knows that already, Jack, but I'll pass on the message."

"I'm not so sure," Jack replied. "He hasn't come to see me since he regenerated. Tell me," he said, his eyes flashing to the Doctor before returning to Amy's, "is he still as gorgeous as this guy here?"

Amy's mouth flapped in surprise for a few times before she managed to stutter out, "Y-Yeah, sure."

Jack grinned. "Fantastic. Put in a good word for me." He winked suggestively and quickly crossed to the Doctor, leaving Amy in a minor state of shock. He raised his hand to his forehead. "Doctor."

The Doctor didn't look up from the control panel. "Are you saluting me right now, Captain?"

Jack laughed."Maybe."

The Doctor's eyes remained locked on the controls. "Jack, if I look up on the count of three and see a salute, I am going to make you regret saving me for the rest of your sorry life. And you can't die, so that'll be a while." He tilted his head and began to count. "One … Two …. Three!" The Doctor looked up – Jack hadn't budged from his original saluting position. The Doctor sighed. "Soldiers."

Jack laughed again. He turned and gave Rose a hug and whispered in her ear, "If you ever get tired of this loser …"

Rose giggled and pushed the Captain away. "Goodbye, Jack."

Jack smiled. He crossed to the TARDIS entrance, threw another salute in the Doctor's direction for good measure, causing the Time Lord to grumble, and flashed a wink in River Song's before pulling the ship's doors to a close.

River shook her head and smiled, amused. "Poor boy doesn't know what's coming to him."

* * *

><p>Amy and Rory were dropped off next back at Demons' Run. "I have to use the wrist teleport to get the Doctor and Rose home," River explained to them, "and it'll work better if there are fewer of us traveling at once."<p>

Goodbyes were said as the couple prepared to leave the strange, retro TARDIS behind. When Rose was sure that Rory was deep in conversation with the Doctor, she leaned in and whispered hesitantly in Amy's ear, "So, I have to ask …"

Amy looked up, questioningly. "What?"

"Rory's attire," Rose said, gesturing to Amy's husband's peculiar Roman garb, "Is this some sort of kinky sex thing, or … ?"

Amy abruptly burst out laughing and the two women were soon doubled over in stitches. "Rose Tyler," Amy managed to wheeze between giggles, "You and I are more alike than I thought." She wiped tears from her eyes and continued, "No, it's not, but it _is_ pretty sexy, don't you think?"

"He pulls the look off," Rose allowed. She stifled a giggle and said, "Hey, do you think I should get some similar garb for the Doct – "

Rose couldn't even finish her sentence before the two were once again lost in a giggle fest at the thought of the Doctor in Roman armor. "I'd have to get him a shield!" Rose gasped.

"And the gladiator sandals?" Amy added, gripping her sides as she laughed. The pair of them were nearly on the floor at this point and were holding on to one another for support.

Across the TARDIS, the Doctor glanced away from his conversation with Rory and River to watch the antics of the two women. "Why do I have a sinking feeling they're laughing at me?"

Rory turned to look, too. "Oh, just let them. I haven't seen Amy laugh like that in ages."

"Rose either," the Doctor realized. He smiled and watched the blonde wipe away a glob of running mascara through her tears. He would let Rose mock him for the rest of his life if it meant her laughing like that more often. He shook his head in amazement; _what a trip_.

Rory walked over to the women and helped Amy steady herself. "Time to go, honey," he said leading her towards the doors.

The couple stopped as they finally reached them and Amy said, "Thank you, Doctor. From both of us. For everything." Her eyes shone with the truth and emotion behind her words as she smiled at one of her favorite men in the universe – well, technically, one of her favorite men in _any_ universe.

Rory was smiling, too. "Good luck, you two," he said to Rose and the Doctor. Being with Amy was what made Rory happier than anything in the world. He hoped things would continue to work out that way for them as well. "And you," he said, pointing at River and adopting a teasing tone, "I want you home by curfew, yeah?"

River laughed. "Right," she said affectionately, watching her parents leave.

Amy and Rory both had one foot out the door when Amy turned back suddenly and said, "Hey Rose – don't forget the little cape!" She swiftly pulled the door closed behind her. The TARDIS occupants could hear her laughter through the closed doors as she and Rory set off.

Rose squeezed her lips together and was nearly successful in holding in the laughter brought on by this new image until she heard River say, "A cape? Ooh, _MAJOR_ spoilers." The laughs suddenly exploded out of Rose's chest and River, too, soon found herself joining in uncontrollably.

The Doctor stood at the control panel of the ship, watching them with a most bemused expression on his face. "Women," he muttered and once again put the TARDIS in flight, sending them off into space.

* * *

><p>The TARDIS had been successfully returned to the high school storage room and the unpleasant trip from one universe to another had passed. A strange feeling of calm was in the air; the adventure was over. After one final goodbye and a few mere minutes, the stress of the day would melt away into nothingness as everyone involved forgot the actions they had performed that afternoon.<p>

The Doctor was fiddling with River's teleport, making sure it could survive the trip back to its rightful universe. He had already seen River be lost while trying to protect him once before; he was going to do all he could to make sure that didn't happen again before her time.

River and Rose were standing shoulder-to-shoulder a few feet away, watching the Time Lord use the other Doctor's sonic screwdriver one last time before it had to be returned. Rose was trying to memorize as much of this moment as possible; she could handle her Doctor not having a TARDIS. After all, they had nearly lost the bloody thing multiple times before. The one thing she had a hard time adjusting to, though, was seeing him without his screwdriver.

The Doctor had relied on his screwdriver for everything before – he had never had a reason not to. His sonic screwdriver had always been handy, ready for any job the Doctor could throw at it (unless it involved wood, of course.) After being sealed in this world, however, he had been forced to adapt and use other tools. She remembered the first time he had used a regular screwdriver, one without the marvelous electric settings he was used to. "_Who looks at a screwdriver and thinks 'this could be a little more sonic'_?" the Doctor had mumbled, repeating Jack's words from years prior. "Anyone with a BRAIN does, Captain. This is rubbish." Rose smiled at the memory.

River's voice suddenly interrupted her stroll down memory lane. "I'm sorry?" Rose asked, having not heard her friend's words the first time.

River turned her face from the Doctor and her eyes met Rose's. She looked almost … sad. "What is it like … having him? The Doctor?"

Rose raised an eyebrow. "Having him? I don't understand what you mean, River. You have a Doctor, too. Back home, right?"

River sighed and returned to watching the Doctor. "I've known the Doctor my whole life," she began, "and he was absolutely brilliant from the beginning. The things he did, that we did together; we saved entire worlds, brought down armies, reversed disasters, saved hundreds of lives …" She trailed off and her eyes flicked back to Rose. "Of course you're familiar with all that."

Rose smiled softly and nodded.

"We're different than the two of you, though," she continued, gesturing from Rose to the Doctor. "You were the Doctor's companion. The two of you spent every moment together, traveled together. Became close… My Doctor and I aren't like that. We keep meeting, meeting out of order with what feels like an eternity between each encounter. We've never experienced the same things as the other, we never feel the same way when we meet. That's a privilege reserved for the Doctor and his companions. Especially so for you." River's eyes flicked to the ground.

Rose's heart went out to the curly-haired woman before her. "River … Why didn't you ask Amy about this?" Rose inquired. "Amy is the Doctor's current companion, right? She'd probably be better at recounting how it feels – I haven't been a companion in that sense for years. Amy is living that life now."

River was silent for a moment, her eyes still locked on the ground. At last, she looked back at Rose. Her eyes seemed moist, as if she were holding in tears. "No. She's not." River sniffed a little. "You still don't get what I'm asking, Rose." She looked back at the Doctor, who at this point had dug out his glasses and was peering through them anxiously at the teleport's interior. "We meet out of order. Never feel the same way … "

At last the true meaning of River's words clicked. "You're in love with the Doctor."

River said nothing, but Rose could feel the truth of her statement hanging in the air between them. River loved the Doctor … but he didn't love her back. The phantom emotion River was feeling when she looked at Rose with her Doctor was heartbreak. Rose didn't know what to say.

River looked back up in the blonde's direction, her eyes shiny. "What is it like, Rose? To be with the Doctor like you are?" Tears began to fall down River's cheeks, slowly but surely pooling around her collar. "What is it like to travel through not through time hand in hand, but through life? To wake up every morning and see the Doctor smiling his stupid cocky grin back at you? What is it like … to have the Doctor?"

Rose stood, mouth agape, as she watched the grown woman cry silently before her. She felt her own eyes becoming moist as she smiled slightly and said, simply, "Fantastic."

River laughed, one short sound chuckle that was nearly lost among her tears. "Thank you, Rose," she said, and Rose knew that she had said the right thing. River brought her hands up to her face and wiped away the drops of salty water that rested there. "It's not the life for me, of course," she said. "This whole 'happy-family-life-in-one-place' thing you two have going here." She genuinely smiled at Rose. "I'd go mad in a matter of hours. I live for danger, excitement. I couldn't settle down like this."

Rose wiped her own tears and nodded encouragingly to River. She didn't feel the need to tell River she had always felt the same way during her old life back home, and enjoying her new life here had been a completely wonderful shock. River had been through enough for one day – Her emotions could be spared just once for now.

The Doctor had finally finished messing with the teleport and wandered back over to the women. "Here you are," he said, presenting it to River. "Good as new. Well, better than new, actually. I modified it a bit. It was complete rubbish before. Well, it still is rubbish, it's a wrist teleport, but it's, you know," he sniffed, "bearable."

River rolled her eyes, amused. "Thanks, sweetie," she said, taking the teleport. Her hand stayed outstretched even after she had the device. "Ahem," she said, wiggling her fingers.

The Doctor sighed and handed back the sonic screwdriver as well. "Rose, remind me to make myself a new screwdriver as soon as our new TARDIS is grown."

River grinned at that. "Well, you two, it's been a blast. Maybe I'll see you around." She fastened the teleport to her wrist and hit a few buttons.

"River, wait," the Doctor said. She paused. "When we meet again … when I meet you for the first time," he clarified, "don't be offended by anything I do. Or say. Or don't say." He locked eyes with her. "Don't take it personally, okay?"

River raised an eyebrow. "Doctor, you know as well as I do that the second I return home I won't remember anything you've said. I won't remember anything _either of you_ have said." She glanced at Rose, who smiled sadly at her in understanding.

"Maybe," the Doctor allowed, "but you just might remember the sentiment, Professor Song." He smiled warmly at her. "After all … you're brilliant."

River grinned back. "Spoilers." She laughed to herself and took a few steps back, pressing more buttons on her wrist. "There's something I want you two to remember as well," she said seriously, glancing between them. "You have each other. You're lucky. Never forget that."

The Doctor nodded. He reached over and took Rose's hand. Rose smiled at River, a warm smile that River knew meant that the blonde understood. "Don't give up, River," Rose said suddenly. "What you said before, about what you feel?" She glanced at her Doctor before speaking again. "I thought the same thing, for a long time … and, luckily, I was wrong. Don't wait until it's too late to find out like I almost did."

River felt her eyes tearing up again. Not wanting the Doctor to see her cry, she said stiffly, "You two should stand back – this teleport can be a bit unpredictable sometimes." She reached to press the final button, the one that would send her home, and flashed a final grin of thanks at the couple before her. "For what it's worth, Rose," she said, "I'm glad this life happened to you. It's about time one of us had a happy ending."

The last thing River saw before being blasted back home was Rose Tyler, defender of the Earth, and the Doctor, the last child of Gallifrey, the couple who shared a life River would never have or even remember once she was gone, smiling at as if she had never spoken truer words.

And in that moment, River knew that to be true.

And then she was gone.

* * *

><p><strong>Hello everyone! <strong>

**It's been a while, again - Apologies galore! I do have a legitimate reason, though; this chapter was so hard to write! First it just wasn't emotional enough, then no one seemed to be in character, then it all just seemed remarkably cheesey .. Not to mention I've become so attached to this story I don't want to see it end, so writing was somewhat painful. THAT SAID, I do believe I fixed up this chapter and it should have been a decent read.**

**Just an epilouge left for this story, now, so we can get a glimpse at the events that follow everyone's forgetting. It should prove interesting ...**

**Q&A TIME:****  
>Last chapter, Gangstamuppet asked if I had seen the Torchwood "Children of the Earth" episodes. Sadly, I have not. I watched the first season of Torchwood, LOVED IT and then couldn't find season two anywhere. At last I <em>do<em> have it, and once I have finished it I will be moving on to season three. I apologize if Jack didn't seem quite as believable because of this - it was completely unintentional. Perhaps after I watch those episodes I can rewrite the Jack portions of the story and repost so it will be more canon. Thank you for your review! It was very helpful :)  
><strong>**Also, a shout-out to ceeare about your thinking River Song won't be the girl in the suit when the show returns - I'd thought of that as well, but perhaps the Silence made her forget? ... I'm just grasping at straws here. I have no idea what will happen, but I really hope Moffat makes it something wonderful and surprising! Thanks for the review!**

**Thank you _all_ so much for sticking with the story this long (or for making it this far if you've just discovered it now!) Your praise in the reviews has been lovely and I feel very blessed to have so many great readers.**

**Speaking of reviews ... any chance you can give me a few more? It'd be fabulous )**

**I'll try to get the epilouge written and uploaded as soon as possible!**


	12. Epilogue

**EPILOGUE**

"Wow," Rose breathed in wonder. "This is beautiful."

The Doctor and Rose sat hand-in-hand on a red-stone cliff overlooking a majestic canyon. Beneath them the wilderness was in complete control; not a sign of civilization was in sight, giving the location a truly serene and peaceful feel. The air was clean and fresh and a plethora of flowers grew sporadically across the ground far below. A large body of water twisted off into the distance.

"What time is it?" Rose asked suddenly, tearing her gaze away.

The Doctor checked his watch, a strange contraption with blinking lights he had modified himself mere days before. "'Bout eight 'o' clock."

Rose blinked. "Have we really been sitting out here all day? My God!"

The Doctor smiled. "Could it be that Rose Tyler, the tenacious Torchwood employee and savior of the Earth, really spent a day just … _relaxing_?" he asked in mock horror, his eyes widening.

Rose smacked him lightly with her free hand. "That rumble with the Hergorphians this morning must have really worn me out, I guess." She looked at the Doctor, a devilish expression on her face. "Maybe we're getting old."

The Doctor laughed loudly. "I'm nine hundred and eight, Rose. I think I surpassed your definition of old eons ago. That said," he grinned, "you are _definitely_ starting to catch up."

"Shush," Rose chided, grinning back.

"No really, I think I see grey," the Doctor teased, reaching out and grabbing a strand of her hair. Rose giggled and shoved him back. "It _is_ nice to just kick back sometimes, though," he continued. "Don't you think? Here with the earth, the trees, the river in the distance …"

Rose blinked. "River …" Rose suddenly felt an emotion she couldn't identify. What meaning did a river have to it? Why was that word suddenly so important to her? A series of images abruptly flashed through her head – a laughing face nearly covered with blonde curls, a gun in a holster on a feminine hip, a wrist-cuff covered with tiny buttons. The last one seemed most important, the wrist cuff; it was crucial in making sure she and the Doctor weren't –

"Rose?" the Doctor interrupted her thoughts, putting his hand on her face and pulling it towards him. Rose's eyes flashed from his somewhat worried face to the wrist mere inches from her nose; from this angle, it almost looked like the wrist cuff from Rose's daydream. _I must be imaging things_, Rose thought, _after sitting in the sun all day._

"Sorry," she smiled, shaking her head of her thoughts. "I was listening, I swear. Relaxing equals good. Wilderness. Pretty. Yupp." The Doctor raised an eyebrow. Rose was about to say something else when a thought suddenly hit her. "Don't you ever miss traveling, though, Doctor? Isn't spending afternoons like this awfully … boring to you?"

The Doctor smiled. "I don't always need to be up and roaring through space, Rose," he said gently. "Just being with you is enough to tire me out." The truth and strangeness of the Doctor's own words stopped him short. He _was_ tired. Why was _he_, the Doctor, the Timelord who saved planets and spent his days constantly sprinting from danger, suddenly tired if he had spent the afternoon doing nothing at all? And why did he have this nagging feeling something had skipped his mind. "Do you feel like we were supposed to spend today doing … something else?" The Doctor asked aloud.

Rose didn't hear him – she had been lost in her own train of thought brought on the Doctor's words. _'Roaring through space'_, he had said. Roaring. She was close to remembering something, Rose could tell. Roaring, roaring... _Rory._ The name came out of nowhere, bringing a smile to Rose's face she couldn't comprehend. She didn't know anyone by the name of Rory. Why had the thought of it made her smile? This word, too, had come with its share of images – a long nose, a short laugh and gladiator sandals that for some reason made Rose's smile grow wider.

"Sorry. What was that?" Rose asked, shaking her head and turning to the Doctor.

"Today. We were supposed to do something else?" he repeated his question.

Rose was relieved to hear her Doctor had been feeling the same way. "Yeah," she replied. "But strangely enough … I also feel like we already did."

The Doctor pondered her words for a moment before nodding slowly. "Exactly."

The couple was silent for a moment. Rose was the first to break this silence with a short, incredulous laugh. "Listen to the pair of us! We take _one_ afternoon off and manage to convince ourselves that it was wrong! We've truly become a pair of workaholics!" Rose got to her feet, pulling the Doctor up with her. "Let's get out of here. I'm sure there's something we can do to keep ourselves busy."

The Doctor smiled a sly smile. "Oh really?" he questioned, leaning in slowly and kissing Rose squarely on the mouth.

Rose smiled against his lips. "Well, there's _that_," she allowed with a giggle when they separated, "but I was _originally_ thinking something more along the lines of checking on the new TARDIS."

"That can wait," the Doctor said, brushing her words aside and pulling Rose into an affectionate hug. He didn't tell her that he inexplicably felt closer to his TARDIS than he had in ages, as if he had just been in his reliable old ship – it would only prolong the strange situation they already found themselves in. Instead he took Rose Tyler's hand and led her back to her personal Zeppelin. He was certain whatever they had forgotten would come back to them in time. After all, it always did.

* * *

><p>"Where on Earth is he?" Amy grumbled, impatiently pacing back and forth.<p>

"Relax, Amy," River said soothingly from across the room. "He's only been gone a few hours."

Amy, Rory and River were all becoming restless. It felt like ages since the Doctor had left them here at Demons' Run in search of baby Melody. None of them were the type to sit still and wait, yet this is all they had been doing for the past three hours since the Timelord's departure. It was taking a toll on all of them.

"Why would he just leave us here?" Amy continued, oblivious to River's calming words. "We could have come along! We could have helped him!"

"He was trying to be helpful, Amy," sighed Rory. "He gave us some alone time with River."

That stopped Amy for the time being. Discovering River was in fact her daughter had left Amy rather rattled and having some time to verbalize a few of her questions had, indeed, been a comfort. There was still much to discuss, but Amy was too exhausted to push for any more answers today.

A familiar groaning sound filled the air, causing all three Ponds to smile. The large, blue police box materialized in front of them as they watched, the doors swinging open once it had come to a stop.

Amy couldn't explain it, but she felt immensely calmer now the Doctor had returned. She always felt better when he was in her sight, of course, but this time she felt as though he had truly dodged a bullet. Perhaps even literally? Whatever the reason for her feelings, they didn't last long either way. The Doctor hadn't even opened his mouth yet when Amy said, "Did you get her?"

"Why, hello to you, too," the Doctor mumbled sarcastically, but he had a smile plastered across his face. "Of course I saved baby Melody! When have I ever let you down? Don't answer that," he said suddenly, turning in time to see Rory snapping his mouth shut.

"Where is she, then?" asked Amy.

"In the TARDIS, sleeping. Busy day we had. I'll tell you all about it later. Shall I fetch her?"

"On that note, I should go, then," said River, getting to her feet. "My being here could cause a paradox. God forbid we have another one of those today." She stopped, confused. "I don't know why I said that."

"Not so fast," the Doctor said, ignoring her words. He adjusted his bowtie and crossed the floor to stand directly in front of River. "Hand it over."

She blinked. "Sorry?"

The Doctor's smile faltered. "I don't know what you were playing at, Professor Song, stealing my screwdriver when I go off to rescue YOU from the clutches of evil. Not that I needed it, of course. I did just fine without it. Nothing a bit of fishing wire, a pear and a blow-dryer couldn't fix, but this whole thing could have been _much_ easier." He stretched out his hand and wiggled his fingers. "I see it there in your pocket, River. Hand it over."

River reached into her pocket and pulled out the Doctor's sonic screwdriver, a bewildered expression playing across her features. "I honestly don't know why I have this," she said, dropping it into his hand and shaking her head in confusion. "I'm sorry. I have no idea how I got to have this."

The Doctor frowned and stared into River's face before deciding she was indeed telling him the truth. His eyes filled with concern. "Are you feeling alright, River?" he asked, leaning in closer.

"Doctor?" Amy interrupted before River could reply. "I would _really_ like to see my baby now?"

River took a step back from the Doctor. "That's my cue." She pressed some buttons on her vortex manipulator and smiled. "Until we meet again, Doctor." She pressed a final button and vanished from view.

The Doctor smiled incredulously and turned from the spot where River Song had previously stood. _What a woman_, he thought. _I sure do know how to pick them._

Rory, Amy and the Doctor piled back into the TARDIS and Amy suddenly found herself lost in her thoughts. She turned in a complete circle, staring at the TARDIS interior and frowning slightly. Everything looked the way she had known it to since she had first joined the Doctor, from the control panel to the walls, yet Amy suddenly heard her voice asking, "Did the TARDIS always look this way?"

The Doctor had by this time reached the controls of the ship. He looked up and smiled at her. "Nah. The old girl never stays the same way too long. She needs to keep things fresh. Kind of like me." He winked at Amy.

Rory looked at his wife in confusion. Moments before she had been so keen on seeing their daughter he thought she could have taken on an army with nothing but her bare hands. Now she seemed to be lost inside her own head. He watched her cautiously, trying to ascertain what had caused this sudden change in her, when he heard her say, "Doctor … who is Rose?"

Out of the corner of his eye, Rory saw the Doctor freeze. He turned to see him staring at Amy, his eyes blazing and posture stiff as a stone. "I'm sorry?" he whispered, his voice more serious than Rory had ever heard him in his life.

Amy turned her face to the Doctor, meeting his eyes and staring right back. "Rose," she said again, refusing to back down or look away from the Timelord.

The Doctor didn't move. He remained silent and motionless, his expressions a combination of surprise, anger and something Rory almost though was loss. The Doctor suddenly rushed Rory and grabbed him by the collar, causing a small yelp to escape Rory's throat and a gasp to come from Amy's. "Who were you with earlier?" he demanded, his voice containing a faint ring of desperation. "Who was here with you when I called?"

Rory struggled against the Doctor's grip, his mind racing as he tried to make sense of the Doctor's words. "What are you talking about?" he cried. "You never called us!"

"Yes I did," the Doctor insisted, refusing to let go. "I called and someone on the other end of the line yelled. Tell me who it was!"

"Doctor, stop!" Amy yelled, jumping between the two men and pulling her husband back. "You didn't call when you were gone! We've been waiting here worried sick the entire time_. Just the three of us_," she emphasized.

The Doctor was still again, seemingly trying not to lose control once more. "Where did you hear that name then, Amelia?" he asked, his voice a mere whisper.

Amy just looked at him, her face unreadable. She squeezed Rory's hand, walked to the Doctor and straightened his bowtie before meeting his eyes again. "From you," she lied, not looking away. "You said it in your sleep ages ago."

The Doctor's shoulders sagged and he let out a whoosh of air, looking away from Amy's somber face. "Rose," he sighed to himself, the pain he felt seeping into each wore with such strength Amy had to struggle not to give the Timelord a hug. "She traveled with me," he whispered slowly. "We traveled together a long time. But … I lost her." He stopped, his eyes glazing over. "I lost her, that wonderful girl, and she was so brilliant that she gave up waiting and came to find _me_." He smiled sadly at the memory.

"Isn't that a good thing?" Amy asked gently, unable to understand where all this pain came from.

The Doctor sighed. "It _was_ … but it never would have worked. So I sent her away again. For good this time." He met Amy's curious eyes. "When you came to travel with me full-time, Amy, you got to bring your life with you. You got to bring along Rory, the love of your life, and continue to have some form of normality, or real life." The Doctor's eyes grew sad again. "For Rose, this _was_ her life, and when _I_ lost _her_, _she_ lost _everything_. She was left with no plan, no way to move forward. She tried, of course," he continued. "She got a job, bonded with her family, but during all of that she was just fighting to return and not truly _living_." He paused, his eyes glazing over as he dredged up old memories. "When she did come back, I decided I couldn't be greedy and keep her with me. I had to let her discover how wonderful life outside this box can be. I had to let her _live_." His eyes began to moisten as he uttered a truth he had never considered before; "Sometimes I think all I did was make her miserable. That I ruined her life forever."

Tears suddenly began to slide down the Doctor's face. He closed his eyes and turned his head, not wanting Amy to see him cry over something he had long ago come to terms with. Amy, however, was fascinated. This was a side of the Doctor she had never seen before, never even considered. The fact he had cared so deeply for someone before she and Rory turned up should have been a complete blindside, a scandal … yet somehow she felt no surprise at all. She took the Doctor's hand and pulled his face toward her, locking their eyes once again. "Doctor," she said firmly. "I'm not the smartest gal on the planet and I've been wrong about a lot of things, but I can assure you," she continued, " that there is _no possible way_ you could have ruined Rose's life. She's out there, somewhere … She's out there and she's _happy_."

The TARDIS fell silent at that, save for a few groany noises from the ship herself. Amy and the Doctor stood facing each other, the time for communication with words having passed. Rory stood back, completely bewildered and confused, but saying nothing as this seemed to be happening a lot lately. Finally the Doctor broke the silence, saying, "You should know about her. Rose, I mean. I should have told you about her." He shook his head, his eyes widening. "No, not just her. All of them. The other people who have traveled with me, those marvelous, wonderful humans. You should know about them all. I'm done trying to forget."

Amy smiled. "Sounds great, Doctor."

Rory, still not fully understanding what had just occurred, brushed aside his confusion for the time being. "Maybe I should grab Melody. Sounds like this could take a while."

"But Rory," Amy whispered in mock shock, "we have all the time in the world!"

Rory laughed as he set off toward what was to become baby Melody's nursery. Amy plopped down on the TARDIS floor and looked up at the Doctor. "So tell me," she asked with a smile, "how many feisty gingers like me have you had onboard."

The Doctor smiled and laughed, all signs of his sadness gone for a moment. "Just you wait 'til we get to Donna."

* * *

><p>The story of the Doctor's companions was not told in its entirety that day; it was much too long for one sitting, after all. But as time went on, the tragic tales of the Doctor's companions were all brought to light. Some days the group would perform a sort of memorial service for everyone who had been lost. They wrote letters they could never send, took pictures they could never share. Melody's bedtime stories became those of Martha Jones, UNIT Soldier, and Donna Noble, the most important woman in all the universe. Though Amy couldn't remember the truth behind what had caused her to ask those questions on that life-changing day, she was glad she had and was certain the reason would, in time, come back to her. Things always seemed to. Nothing can ever truly be forgotten, especially if you are fighting to remember.<p>

And after all, Amelia Pond was not the type to give up trying.

* * *

><p><strong>TAH-DAH!<strong>

**I was hoping to have this up last Saturday so it could be read a week before the show returned, but life got in the way. Ah well. At least I did get it posted before the show was back!**

**Thank you all so much for reading and bearing with me through my awful delays! A special thanks to everyone who reviewed and gave me a piece of your mind. It was much appreciated! You're fantastic!**

**I would also just like to say that if you are one of those people (like me) who often doesn't read a story until ages after it's been completed, PLEASE don't hesitate to review anyway! I am always, always, ALWAYS looking for new views on my work, no matter how much time has passed!**

**Now I guess all that's left for us to do is plop down in front of our TVs on Saturday and see how everything REALLY unfolds! I know I'm on the edge of my seat with excitement!**

**What's next for me? Well, I have a few more Doctor Who fics in mind that need writing. Some, granted, are short little one-shots, but I DO actually have another multi-chaptered story in mind. Before it gets written, though, I need to channel my inner Donna *hint hint*  
>As for other fandoms, I also have a Veronica Mars story started, PLUS some ideas for Roswell fics. I just started watching The X-Files this summer, as well, so stay tuned for a possible fic there once I get deeper into the series. Maybe I'll even attempt some crossovers? ;)<strong>

**Thank you all again so much! If you ever have an idea you want to share or are looking for a co-writer or beta, shoot me a message! It's been a blast!**

**Until next time, ALLONS-Y!**

**- LifelongObsessor**


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